Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner has made this dilemma well known for centuries with a few words: “Water, water, every where, nor any drop to drink”—a line that refers to the non-drinkability of ocean water. With potable water becoming increasingly scarce all over the world, a lot of people are now looking to the oceans as sources. But the question is, can seawater be really made drinkable?
As a matter of fact, there are numerous ways, but first, it helps to understand why the oceans are considerable candidates. For one, seawater offers an unlimited supply of H2O for the world. Consider these numbers: 97 percent of the planet’s water is salty, 2 percent of it is frozen, and a measly 1 percent is drinkable fresh water. It’s easy to see seawater’s relevance as a potable water source.
Now, onward to the actual seawater treatment processes. There are a number of different recognized methods as stated, and one of them is reverse osmosis (RO), a filtration system capable of desalination (separating salt from seawater). Today, RO makes use of high pressure pumps that force contaminated water through a special membrane which acts as a filter. The membrane sports holes which are extremely small—small enough for salt particles to not pass through, producing only pure water in the process.
In the near future, the number of desalination plants using RO systems are bound to increase, and with RO’s effectiveness, it’s not farfetched to think so.
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