One problem with desalination is that the salt tends to gather on the surface of the material, which makes it difficult to produce pure water. The Monash University researchers worked around this problem with an intricately designed solar steam generator that prevents the salt from spoiling the broth. It consists of a disc crafted from super-hydrophilic filter paper, a material that attracts water, which is coated with a layer of carbon nanotubes that convert sunlight into heat. Water is fed into the center of the disc via a simple cotton thread, where the heat turns it into steam that builds up on the disc while pushing the salt to the edge. "This device can produce six to eight liters (1.6 to 2.1 gal) of clean water per square meter (of surface area) per day," Zhang tells New Atlas.
It needs to scale but most promising is it does not consume vast amounts of electricity.
See #^https://newatlas.com/solar-steam-generator-water-desalination/60726/
#desalination #solar #environment
#^Hydrophilic disc uses solar power to separate salt from water
The search is very much on for new water desalination technologies that can get the job done more efficiently. Scientists in Melbourne have put forward one rather promising solution, developing a new kind of system that heats up and purifies water using only the power of the Sun.
source https://gadgeteer.co.za/node/3385
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