Engineers at the University of Illinois have taken a step forward in developing a saltwater desalination process that is potentially cheaper than reverse osmosis and borrows from battery technology. In their study, the researchers are focusing on new materials that could make desalination of brackish waters economically desirable and energy efficient.
The need for practical desalinization technology is rising in the context of global climate change. Coastal regions, where the rise of seawater could encroach upon and contaminate groundwater aquifers, present just one area of concern. As demand for diminishing clean water sources increases, the need for desalination of lower-salinity brackish water from inland and industrial sources will increase, the researchers said.
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