Making seawater drinkable through desalination leaves behind brine, a salty sludge which can damage marine life
desalination plant, about 15km south of Tel Aviv, is eerily unpopulated. This is the largest such plant in the world, producing as much as 230m cubic metres of desalinated water a year—about one-fifth of Israel’s domestic water supply. Yet only 20 staff are needed at any time to operate it. Seawater is piped in from over a kilometre out at sea.
That breakdown of where desalination is used hints at two reasons it is not a panacea. One is geography. If the sea is the feedstock it will be too costly to transport desalinated water long distances inland—to western China, for example. Secondly, even for coastal regions, desalination is very expensive, which explains why two-thirds of existing facilities are located in high-income countries. The expense comes partly in the capital cost of the plants.
The researchers worry about the threat that uncontrolled discharge of brine could cause to marine life. At the very least it raises the salinity of the surrounding seawater, depleting the dissolved oxygen. But in some places it may be accompanied by toxic chemicals used in the treatment process. More optimistically, they also point to opportunities to use reject brine, for example, in aquaculture, where it has achieved increases in fish biomass of 300%.
Österreich Neuesten Nachrichten, Österreich Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Manufactured water can supplement the natural stuff, but never replace itAnd the cost of desalination can be prohibitive
Weiterlesen »
Perspective | Why you should be wary of some digestive enzyme supplementsWhile some supplements, such as Beano, have been around a long time and studied, newer unregulated formulations are raising concerns.
Weiterlesen »
The bizarre and brilliant rules for naming new stuff in spaceCraters on Mars can be named for towns with 100,000 people or fewer. Everything on Venus is named for a woman. There are asteroids for every member of the Beatles -- but don't try to name one after your pet.
Weiterlesen »
Why a global manufacturing slump is a recurring threatChina’s on-and-off efforts to curb lending spill over to the rest of the world
Weiterlesen »
Vietnam overcame isolation to become a manufacturing hub — and North Korea is watchingPowered by manufacturing, economic growth in Vietnam jumped from 2.8 percent in 1986 — when reforms were introduced — to 7.1 percent last year.
Weiterlesen »
The US just got the latest sign manufacturing activity is slowing downNew orders for American-made goods rose less than expected at the end of 2018.
Weiterlesen »
Chinese manufacturing shrinks for third straight month in February, a private survey showsA private survey on China's manufacturing sector showed Friday that factory activity shrank for a third straight month in February.
Weiterlesen »