Desalination

Researchers at the University of Illinois have come up with a new battery design that not only relies on salt water to store and release electricity, but removes the salt ions from the water in the process.

​Engineers have used nanotechnology to model a new membrane that can filter salt from seawater at higher volumes than ever before. The membrane, made from molybdenum disulfide, “pulls” clean molecules water through itself. Potentially, this could make desalination plants much more energy-efficient.

As access to clean water continues to be an issue throughout the developing world, there's an increased demand for easier ways to turn contaminated and salty water into something you can drink. Researchers at MIT may have found a solution using a method they are calling shock electrodialysis.

Researchers from the University of Alexandria have developed a cheaper, simpler and potentially cleaner way to turn seawater into drinking water than conventional methods.

A treatment process developed by engineers at the University of Colorado Boulder promises a simpler and more economical way to clean up the wastewater produced by oil and gas operations that is heavily salinated and full of organic contaminants.

Desalination may one day prove the savior for regions of the world where clean drinking water is scarce, but current technology dictates that this process is often expensive and energy-intensive. The team behind the Desolenator has high hopes of delivering water security to those in need, with a mob

Dragan Tutić felt that using wave power to turn seawater into the drinkable variety on the spot had been largely unexplored. Having now developed a prototype, he hopes to deploy his wave-powered desalinator to where water scarcity threatens the survival of coastal communities.

Looking rather like a 10-meter (33 ft) tall sunflower, IBM's High Concentration PhotoVoltaic Thermal (HCPVT) system can produce enough power, water, and cooling to supply several homes.

Scientists in Australia have reported the discovery of huge freshwater reserves preserved in aquifers under the world's oceans. Such reserves are to be found under continental shelves off Australia, China, North America and South Africa.

A device known as the "water chip" uses electricity to remove salt from seawater.

Pipes made from a polymer-copper blend could make the desalination of seawater considerably less expensive.

A newly-developed membrane that incorporates carbon nanotubes could lead to a faster and more energy-efficient method of water desalination.