About 2.2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water, the United Nations says. Many coastal areas use desalination, but common methods like reverse osmosis and thermal distillation need much energy, chemicals and they produce concentrated brine that harms marine life.
Researchers at the University of Rochester made a solar-powered panel that evaporates seawater. The panel has black metal treated with femtosecond lasers so it absorbs sunlight and pulls a thin water layer across the surface. Salts are moved to an untreated passive area, so the active part keeps working without chemical additives.
Tests with Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean samples produced fresh water and sent leftover salts to the passive region for later collection. The solid salts could be used as table salt or other minerals.
Difficult words
- desalination — Removing salt from seawater to make drinking water
- reverse osmosis — A method that forces water through a membrane
- brine — Very salty water left after desalination
- evaporate — To change water into vapor or steamevaporates
- passive — Not active; left as a separate areapassive area
- femtosecond — A very short unit of time used with lasers
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Discussion questions
- Would you like a solar-powered device to make drinking water near you? Why or why not?
- Do you think using leftover salts as table salt is a good idea? Explain briefly.
- Have you heard of desalination in your country? What do you know about it?
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