Wave-powered desalination machine filters 49,000 liters of water daily - Interesting Engineering
Wave-powered desalination machine filters 49,000 liters of water daily
Wave-powered desalination machine filters 49,000 liters of water dailyThe system is modular and multiple units can be put together to generate large quantities of desalinated water.Ameya PalejaPublished: Nov 06, 2023 10:00 PM ESTinnovationWave powered desalination plants could help provide drinking waterOneka Get a daily digest of the latest news in tech, science, and technology, delivered right to your mailbox. Subscribe now.By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Policies You may unsubscribe at any time.Oneka Technologies, a Canada-based startup, has unveiled its environment-friendly desalination technology that works by using power from the waves at sea. This environmentally friendly approach could help countries tend to the water needs of their population without worrying about its climate impact. Out of the total water available on the planet, just about three percent is fresh water that can be used. The rest is salty sea water unsuitable for drinking or industrial usage, and desalination plants have helped put this water to some use. Nevertheless, desalination is an energy-intensive process, and none of it comes from renewable sources. According to the International Desalination Association, desalination plants have doubled in the past decade, and the sector is expected to grow at nine percent. In such a scenario, an environment-friendly solution would be helpful in a world looking to move away from fossil fuels. See Also Related The World's First Wave-Powered Desalination System Is Ready for Action Solar Domes Could Desalinate Seawater at a Commercial Scale A Solar Farm is Providing Drinking Water to 50,000 People a Day Powered by wavesConventional desalination plants work in either of these approaches - thermal or membrane. In the thermal process, seawater is heated till the water evaporates, leaving the salt behind. The evaporated water is cooled, collected, and made available for use. In the membrane approach, seawater is passed through a semi-permeable membrane that takes in the salt. This approach is also energy-intensive but comparatively better than the thermal treatment. Oneka's approach to desalination is an improvement over the membrane approach. This is achieved by using buoyant machines that are anchored to the seabed and using a membrane system that is powered by the waves. The machines absorb energy from the waves and convert it into mechanical force, which is used to draw in the seawater. A quarter of the water is circulated inside the desalination system, and purified water is pumped using mechanical power to the shore.Advantages of the systemThe entire system is mechanically driven and works without electricity. The desalination machines are being built in three sizes, with the most enormous measuring 26 feet (8 m) X 16 feet (5 m). The devices need three feet (one meter) high waves to work, and the largest can produce 13,000 US gallons (49,000 liters) of water daily. The modular machines can be connected to generate more significant amounts of water. Besides not emitting carbon during the process, the system is marine life-friendly. The waste from conventional desalination plants contains concentrated levels of salt or brine that need to be processed further before being discharged into the sea. If salt levels are too high, they kill marine life in the area, creating a dead zone. Oneka's machines use three-quarters of seawater pulled in mechanically to mix the concentrated salt from the membranes and release it back into the sea without raising sea levels by a high degree. Seawater intake happens through 60-micron inlet holes, too small to take in any marine life. According to its website, the anchors of the system are also converted into artificial reefs a few months after their installation. Oneka expects its desalination machines to be commercially available next year. HomeInnovationAdd Interesting Engineering to your Google News feed.Add Interesting Engineering to your Google News feed.SHOW COMMENT (1) For You Capturing CO2 using light — and turning it into valuable productsResearchers spotted 'love bite' marks, showing strong virus attachmentHomnin evolution: CT scans unveil vertebrate shoulder's pharyngeal originOur future in the stars: a review of Prof. Avi Loeb's InterstellarAstrophysicists predict a hidden planet in the Kuiper BeltSinopec's colossal LNG tank bolsters winter gas supply - 541M gallonsAre smart phones destroying our mental health?How powerful is the world's biggest chain gun?China: Shamanic doctor performed complex skull surgery 2700 years agoGiorgio Rosa, the engineer who built his own island Job Board
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: hydropower
Hydropower — electricity generated by turbines capturing energy from moving water — was for many years the primary contributor of renewable energy to the U.S. electricity grid. Its growth was rapid into the 1970s, and since then has offered a stable supply of power, while a declining share of all generation. For many years, hydropower was seen as clean energy and an unalloyed good, but a greater understanding of the impact of dams on ecosystems and wildlife has led to the removal of some dams. As of 2019, hydropower trails wind as a renewable source of power generation.