Scientists turn seawater into fresh water without harmful brine

Scientists have developed a solar-powered desalination system that turns seawater into fresh water while removing nearly all of the leftover salt as a solid instead of producing harmful brine. The self-cleaning technology could also recover valuable minerals such as lithium, potentially turning desalination waste into a useful resource. Scientists turn seawater into fresh water without harmful brine.

Scientists turn seawater into fresh water without harmful brine Science News from research organizations Scientists turn seawater into fresh water without harmful brine A new solar-powered desalination system could turn seawater into fresh water while eliminating brine waste and even harvesting valuable lithium. Adam Fenster Around the world, billions of people still lack reliable access to safe drinking water. The United Nations estimates that 2.2 billion people do not have safely managed drinking water, while regions from California to the Middle East increasingly rely on desalination plants to turn ocean water into fresh water.

Desalination can provide a critical water supply, but today’s most common methods come with significant drawbacks. Reverse osmosis forces water through specialized membranes to remove salt, while thermal distillation uses heat to separate fresh water from seawater. Both approaches can consume large amounts of energy, often require water treatment before and after the process, and generate a highly concentrated salty waste known as brine.

When that brine is discharged back into the ocean, it can increase local salinity and reduce oxygen levels, creating harmful conditions for marine organisms.