An American student found a solution to the problem of fresh water shortage

A student from Texas of a US university found a solution to the problem of the shortage of fresh water in the world. She proposed a new water desalination technology.

A new method of water desalination was invented by student Taya Oddonetto. Her project was funded by the Center for Engineering Research of the National Science Foundation Perfect Pitch Competition. Interesting Engineering writes about it.

How can water be desalinated

Taya Oddonetto proposes to desalinate water using salt-free electrodialysis metathesis. In tests, this method performed well, reducing the salinity of seawater by 93%. The method proposed by the student is 20% cheaper than the already known methods of desalination.

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During the class, the professor said that if someone found out how to turn brine into something valuable, it would be a revolution for the planet. At that moment, I told myself that I would be the one to find a solution to the brine, and that thought never left me, – the inventor said.

Currently known desalination methods assume that up to 85% of the brine can be turned into drinking water, and 15% of the liquid is turned into concentrated brine, which is pumped into deep wells in the ground. However, the disadvantage of this method of disposal is that it often destroys mineral reserves in the subsoil. For example – lithium, the demand for which is growing every year. And it can also pollute the soil.

Electrodialysis metathesis aims to separate water from salt at the molecular level using electric current and ion exchange membranes. The inventor herself says that this method will also help find cheaper ways to treat wastewater, which will reduce utility bills and solve the problem of drinking water shortage.