A team of scientists from MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have developed a solar-powered desalination system capable of creating drinkable water at a higher volume and lower cost than existing methods.
The research, titled "Extreme salt-resisting multistage solar distillation with thermohaline convection" was published in the journal Joule. Electrek reported that the system is designed to not require electricity, thus significantly reducing the cost of water production.
The device, a small box, creates water eddies that function similarly to the ocean's thermohaline circulation. This process, combined with solar heat, facilitates water evaporation, leaving the salt behind.
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“When seawater is exposed to air, sunlight drives water to evaporate. Once water leaves the surface, salt remains. And the higher the salt concentration, the denser the liquid, and this heavier water wants to flow downward,” explained Lenan Zhang, a research scientist in MIT's Device Research Laboratory.
The researchers claim that a scaled-up version of this system could produce about 4 to 6 liters of drinking water per hour, at a rate and price cheaper than tap water. This could potentially meet the daily water requirements of a small family, and provide a solution for off-grid coastal communities near seawater.
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