desalination

A new study has discovered that the widely accepted theory of how reverse osmosis works, called the solution-diffusion model, is fundamentally incorrect. The research team conducted experiments and computer simulations which demonstrated that reverse osmosis is driven by pressure changes within the membrane, rather than concentration gradients. This finding challenges the conventional understanding that has been taught for over 50 years and could lead to more effective uses of reverse osmosis in applications such as…

Sean Bothwell can understand why people think desalination is a silver bullet. When he was a kid living in California’s Orange County, the ocean was always close by. It didn’t make sense to him that all the water near him wasn’t usable.“I grew up thinking, like, why the heck aren’t we desalinating?” said Bothwell, who is now executive director of the California Coastkeeper Alliance. “Why are people always saying that we need to save water and conserve?”Now, a few decades later, California is in an even more dire…

The Colorado River wraps around Horseshoe Bend in the in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Page, Arizona.Rhona Wise | Afp | Getty ImagesStates dependent on the drought-stricken Colorado River are increasingly looking toward desalination as a way to fix the river's deficit and boost water supplies across the western U.S.The search for alternative ways to source water comes as federal officials continue to impose mandatory water cuts for states that draw from the Colorado River, which supplies water and power for more…

A bleached ‘bathtub ring’ is visible on the banks of Lake Mead on August 19, 2022 in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada.Photo: Justin Sullivan (Getty Images)In an effort to avoid drawing more water from the drought-stricken Colorado River, Arizona officials are looking as far as Mexico for reliable water supply. Arizona’s Water Infrastructure Finance Authority passed a non-binding resolution this week in support of a large desalination plant in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez, Arizona Central reported. The idea was…

Photo: Mario Tama (Getty Images)When you think of getting freshwater from the ocean, you might imagine costly and environmentally damaging desalination plants. But one team of researchers thinks there could be a simpler strategy: collecting the water vapor that naturally occurs over the ocean’s surface.Scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have proposed a device that would harvest water vapor from above the ocean, creating a supply of freshwater for arid communities. In a new paper, theyalso analyzed…

Ocean Oasis' Gaia system has been designed to use wave power to desalinate water.Ocean OasisPlans to use marine energy to desalinate water received a further boost this week, after a Norwegian firm presented a system that will be put through its paces in waters off Gran Canaria.In a statement Monday, Oslo-headquartered Ocean Oasis said its wave-powered prototype device, which it described as being an "offshore floating desalination plant," was called Gaia.The plant — which has a height of 10 meters, a diameter of 7 meters…

SALINAS, Calif. —  In a decision that sheds harsh light on the state’s commitment to environmental justice amid growing drought anxiety, the California Coastal Commission has granted conditional approval to a controversial Monterey Bay desalination project that even the commission’s own staff said would unfairly burden a historically underserved community. “This is a really, really tough decision,” Commission Chair Donne Brownsey said during a heated 13-hour hearing Thursday. “I, like most of the commissioners up here,…

For decades, environmentalists have decried ocean desalination as an ecological disaster, while cost-savvy water managers have thumbed their noses at desal’s lofty price tag. But as the American Southwest barrels into a new era of extreme heat, drought and aridification, officials and conservationists are giving new consideration to the process of converting saltwater into drinking water, and the role it may play in California’s future.Although desalination requires significant energy, California’s current extended…

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (R) tastes wastewater that was treated at the Antioch Water Treatment Plant with Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe (L) on August 11, 2022 in Antioch, California.Justin Sullivan | Getty ImagesCalifornia regulators this week approved a $140 million desalination plant that could convert up to 5 million gallons of seawater each day into drinking water, as the state grapples with a persistent megadrought and plummeting water supplies.The state's Coastal Commission on Thursday voted 11-0 to approve the…

A man performs maintenance work in the reverse osmosis building at the Carlsbad Desalination plant Thursday, May 26, 2022, in Carlsbad, California. The facility is the Western hemisphere’s largest desalination plant, which removes salt and impurities from ocean water. Photo: Gregory Bull (AP)California regulators are likely to approve a new water desalination plant today as state officials look for solutions to ongoingwater shortages, as the state struggles through its worst drought in over 1,000 years.The California…