Most of our planet is covered with abundant water bodies. Throughout the history of scientific studies, it has been known that 70 percent of Earth's surface consists of liquid. These waters are one of the foundations that generate life throughout the world's biodiversity and environment.
Issues on Drinkable Water Source
However, not all water volumes scattered throughout the planet are available for drinking. In the United States Geological Survey data, just about 2.5 percent of Earth's collective water supply is categorized as freshwater.
Most of the clean, consumable waters of this small percentage are frozen in glaciers, up in the atmospheric regions, or buried deep under the crust of Earth. The lesser portion of the drinkable waters is what we only have to keep life up and running.
Even if the freshwaters locked up inside frozen structures melts, chances of an increase in available drinking water are low due to the uncontrolled mix-up of liquidized ice to the seawaters.
Throughout many decades, the availability of drinking water has always been a problem in many parts of the world. According to the World Health Organization, approximately a third of the planet's entire population has limited to no access to clean and reliable drinking waters.
There are modern advances that could help ease the problem of water sources, including the construction of dams and other reservoirs. Pumping stations that could reach between states and national boundaries are also being developed.
Moreover, projects in coastal areas already involve the removal of salt contents in the seawater for additional water sources. But the main problem with these large systems is that they could only cater to communities with infrastructures already built before the solutions.
To answer other developing regions that lack access to drinkable waters, scholars from the prestigious MIT constructed a model that could desalinate volumes from Earth's largest available water source.
MIT Develops Desalinating Device, Converts Seawater to Drinkable Water
The research focused on building a portable device the size of standard suitcases that have the function of cleaning natural seawater and other non-potable choices and converting them into a drinkable state.
MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science specialist Junghyo Yoon, an author of the study, explained in an SYFY WIRE report that the instrument utilizes the electromembrane process, particularly ion concentration polarization, to relay electric field and remove unnecessary compounds from seawaters.
The electromembrane process is an effective chemical separation approach that could turn seawater safe and drinkable while being available anytime at any place through its structure's portability.
Electrodialysis was the first to be demonstrated as a promising water cleanser, but it could only eliminate salt from the liquid and leaves contaminants and pathogens still intact.
The water cleansing device is energy-efficient, as it only consumes about 20 watts per hour or the tiny power needed to charge modern phones. If no connection from power infrastructures is available, the desalinating device could use 50 watts of power per hour from solar panels.
At the moment, testing from the device shows a production rate of 0.3 liters per hour, which could cater one serving of drinking water to a single person each cycle. According to the authors, further research will be carried out to improve the concept and meet the production goal of 10 liters per hour.
The study was published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, titled "Portable Seawater Desalination System for Generating Drinkable Water in Remote Locations."
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