What is Desalination?
Desalination is the process of removing salt and other minerals or sediments from seawater and brackish water in order to produce potable water that is safe for drinking and use in households, agriculture, or industrial activities. Desalination plants are especially important to areas which have limited access to fresh water or are susceptible to extreme weather conditions such as drought and flooding.
What does desalination involve?
Two of the most common methods of desalination are:
- Reverse osmosis, which is achieved by pushing the seawater through semi-permeable membranes. These membranes are designed to allow water molecules to pass through while capturing salt and other impurities. Through this process the water is separated into fresh desalinated water, and a concentrated brine which is safely discharged back into the sea. This is Veolia's preferred choice of desalination as it is both energy and cost effective.
- Thermal desalination, which involves heating the seawater to produce steam. The vapour is then condensed and collected as fresh water. While effective, thermal desalination is more energy-intensive than reverse osmosis.
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