eli5: Why is it so difficult to desalinate sea water to solve water issues?
In: 1972
One other item others haven’t mentioned is what to do with the brine (ultra salty waste). If you’re filtering enough water to make desal useful, you get quite a bit of leftover brine. If you continue throwing this back into the ocean in the same place, the spot becomes toxic to creatures around it. Similar if you try and throw it away on land. It’s always better to not create more environmental problems than you’re solving.
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