by Lucien Beauley

Created on: March 19, 2010   Last Updated: March 20, 2010

How to Start Desalination Now

It is in the news almost daily that the U.S. and many other nations are facing shortages in their drinking water. A few are well into replenishing their shortages using the latest desalinization scientific methods.  

Global Availability Of Water In Arid Regions

When I think of one place in the world that is prone to acute water shortages I think of Saudi Arabia. It is somewhat of an omen that they have recently announced the completion of the largest desalinization plant in the world.

There has also been extensive research in this field in other countries, mainly in Israel where a massive desalination project has recently been completed. This project will be providing 315 million cu.meters/year of drinking water by 2010.

There have been many ongoing projects in the state of California with mixed results. The Colorado river is said to provide water at a rate which is far below $1 dollar per 1000 cu. meters of water and so far the cost of desalinated water in these projects is in the area of $6 per 1000 cu. meters.

Obviously, it is the relative cost of the present lower cost which is the factor, but if California reaches a point either having little or no water, the cost differential will not be such a big factor.

Meanwhile, the process of desalination is becoming more and more cost effective and many are confident the future will be much brighter.

Diverse Methods Of Converting Salt Or Brackish Water Into Pure Drinking Water

One approach called Condensation Irrigation (CI) is very simple and is used for both irrigation and/or drinking water production. Incoming saline or brackish water is routed through a solar still where ambient air is made to flow over the saline water.

The warmed solar heated air is routed to an underground tube or pipe where it is cooled. Once cooled it forms precipitation along the inner walls of the tubing or pipe which is set at an incline producing a flow of fresh drinkable water.

The rate of this flow is determined by many factors which include surface area of saline water in still, differential temperature of water and air within still and a few other factors. Some findings in North Africa. Some reference figures derived as far as water production rates of drinkable using this method was just about two quarts/day. Somehow the length of the cooling or irrigation pipe was not given.

Another similar method is being developed in Israel at Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technion, Israel. It is similar to

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