Why Can’t We Turn Ocean Water Into Drinking Water?
If the earth is 3/4th water, with most of it being ocean water, why can’t we turn ocean water into drinking water?
Even though there is practically an infinite amount of ocean water, using it as drinking water isn’t as simple as it seems.
How Ocean Water Is Made Into Drinking Water
The process of purifying ocean water into clean drinking water is called Desalination.
It is when the saltwater from the ocean goes through a reverse osmosis process that utilizes high pressure and a lot of energy to remove the salt and any other minerals. This is because salt dissolves easily in water, creating a strong ionic bond that makes it hard to separate. Ocean water is PACKED with salt, making the process of desalination an extreme challenge.
Countries that don’t have a lot of access to fresh water will use this as a main source of water collection, but here in the US, it isn’t utilized as much because we have access to lakes, rivers, and other sources of fresh water.
However, places like California, Florida, and even here in Texas have desalination plants as a secondary water source, as well as to try to find solutions that aren’t as expensive and harmful to the environment.
Why Don’t We Desalinate Ocean Water In The US As A Main Source?
Along with the access to fresh water, the process of desalination requires a lot of energy, is costly, and is not an ecologically friendly solution.
The desalination plants that are built are generally very large and have a lot of moving parts to get raw seawater turned into water adequate for human consumption.
Energy-Intensive
Because of the strong bond that is created between salt and water, the reverse osmosis process takes a long time and a lot of power.
You also have to think of the initial filtration process that seawater needs to go through first. When you collect seawater, you collect debris, tiny organisms, dirt, algae, and other contaminants.
Yes, fresh water has these issues too, but filtration and purification systems for fresh water are much less complex and can easily be created and contained in city water plants.
Doing these processes continuously and in a large capacity requires an immense amount of power, which leads to higher operating costs.
This leads us to our second point of why desalination isn’t a practical solution to use as a main water source.
High-Cost
If desalination were our main source of water collection and distribution, our water bills would increase. According to both the Texas Water Development Board and the Texas Desalination Association, the cost of water from a desalination plant is about double the cost of brackish (seawater and freshwater combined) and slightly more than double the cost of freshwater.
The cost of the desalination plant alone, tied in with the power and energy it takes, makes it an expensive development and a costly process.
Environmental Impact
After the reverse osmosis process is complete, there is an exuberant amount of concentrated salt water left over, which is called Brine. Brine is not to be dumped back into the ocean due to the implications it can have on sea life and the underwater environment.
However, the concentrated salt water can be used in wastewater facilities, injected into the earth, or used in industrial settings. There are ways to utilize the leftover brine, but again, that adds to the cost of the overall process.
Another major environmental issue is the amount of pollution these desalination plants emit. Utilizing a plant for one year is the pollution equivalent of putting thousands of extra cars on the road. Multiply that by hundreds of plants running over several years, and you have a largely negative climate impact and issue.
Give Your Home The Best Water With EcoWater Texas
No matter if your city uses desalinated water, fresh water reservoirs, or other sources of water collection and distribution, make sure that the water entering your home is the best and freshest on the planet.
How? By using our whole home water system.
We provide systems for turning hard water into soft water, filtration that removes all the chemicals, contaminants, and more to clean your water and give it the fresh, crisp taste that everyone enjoys. Not only does it taste great, but a whole home filtration system transforms your water so that it works for your home. You will find that your dishes are cleaner, your appliances aren’t covered in soap scum, your clothes are fresher, and your body doesn’t feel dry and itchy after each shower.
For more information on how to elevate the water in your home, contact our team today to schedule a free in-home water test and evaluation!