"The major obstacle to using the sea to meet human water needs which the UN puts at between 50 and 100 liters per person per day is that it contains too much salt to drink, and actually causes dehydration. Reverse osmosis, today's dominant desalination method, uses high-pressure membranes to filter out the salt, leaving behind drinkable water. But every liter produced this way generates an almost equal volume of brine."
"This highly salty byproduct is often laced with chemicals like chlorine as well as antiscalants used to prevent salt buildup on equipment. The easiest and cheapest way to get rid of this brine is to send it back into the sea. But once discharged, it tends to sink, forming dense layers on the ocean floor. These layers deplete oxygen and threaten marine ecosystems, particularly creatures like mollusks, sponges and seagrasses that provide food and shelter for other species."
Humans have long sought to make seawater drinkable using distillation, filters and chemicals. Climate warming, population growth and intensified droughts increase demand for desalinated water. Desalination is expanding fastest in the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Asia. In 2023 about 16,000 plants produced roughly 56 billion liters per day, around seven liters per person. Reverse osmosis is the dominant method, using high-pressure membranes to remove salt. Nearly every liter produced yields an almost equal volume of brine often containing chlorine and antiscalants. Brine discharges can sink, deplete oxygen and threaten mollusks, sponges and seagrasses. Environmental impacts depend on processing methods, energy sources and plant locations.
Read at www.dw.com
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