Wouldn’t this be a very lucrative business? Also totally guessing at the flair…sorry.
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These facilities do exist, but for the most part no, they’re very difficult to run profitably.
The thing is, salt and water come separately naturally. It’s cheaper and more efficient to have a salt mine and transport the salt than manufacture it from salt water. It’s also cheaper to extract water from a fresh water source and transport it than to separate it.
It’s possible as transportation costs go up this reality will change. But right now the cost case isn’t there.
These facilities do exist, but for the most part no, they’re very difficult to run profitably.
The thing is, salt and water come separately naturally. It’s cheaper and more efficient to have a salt mine and transport the salt than manufacture it from salt water. It’s also cheaper to extract water from a fresh water source and transport it than to separate it.
It’s possible as transportation costs go up this reality will change. But right now the cost case isn’t there.
On top of everything else, if you build them near the ocean now, they’re going to be victims of seawater rise in a couple decades
On top of everything else, if you build them near the ocean now, they’re going to be victims of seawater rise in a couple decades
A desalination plant needs a large power source located nearby. Like nuclear power plant large. It’s an incredibly energy hungry process with current technology and so is the expensive way to do the job. Other issues being sea level rise, and the unpopularity of putting nuclear power plants near sea level anywhere in range of an earthquake zone after fukushima.
A desalination plant needs a large power source located nearby. Like nuclear power plant large. It’s an incredibly energy hungry process with current technology and so is the expensive way to do the job. Other issues being sea level rise, and the unpopularity of putting nuclear power plants near sea level anywhere in range of an earthquake zone after fukushima.
They’re exceptionally expensive and, as of right now, unnecessary in western countries. At some point in the future, when water scarcity becomes a “right now” emergency in wealthy countries, I’d imagine that they will be widespread..
They’re exceptionally expensive and, as of right now, unnecessary in western countries. At some point in the future, when water scarcity becomes a “right now” emergency in wealthy countries, I’d imagine that they will be widespread..
Desalinization requires huge amounts of energy. All of the methods for large scale production are expensive to implement compared to wells, gathering rainwater, etc. Unless you are in Death Valley or the Negev or the Sahara, it’s a losing business..
Desalinization requires huge amounts of energy. All of the methods for large scale production are expensive to implement compared to wells, gathering rainwater, etc. Unless you are in Death Valley or the Negev or the Sahara, it’s a losing business..
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