{"id":116006,"date":"2022-10-01T23:30:17","date_gmt":"2022-10-02T03:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/?p=116006"},"modified":"2022-11-08T17:51:20","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T22:51:20","slug":"seawater-batteries-a-solution-for-desalination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/seawater-batteries-a-solution-for-desalination\/","title":{"rendered":"Seawater Batteries: a Solution for Water Desalination"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By Brigitte Rodriguez, Associate Researcher &amp; Writer for Save The Water\u2122 | October 1, 2022<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In recent years, scientists have been developing more new technologies for water desalination. However, these technologies use large amounts of water and energy. For this reason, researchers from the University of Central Florida have presented a sustainable technology: seawater batteries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seawater batteries are a major technology that can save energy during seawater desalination. They do this by removing salt ions from seawater. They\u2019re recognized for their \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pv-magazine.com\/2022\/09\/06\/storing-renewables-with-seawater-batteries\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sustainable, environmentally friendly, performance-oriented, and cost-efficient applications at the energy and water nexus<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">What is Desalination?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many countries use <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/future-desalination-technology\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">desalination to remove salt and other minerals from water<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. As a result, they can use the water for human consumption and other uses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, desalination also presents a series of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/healthebay.org\/sites\/default\/files\/Desalination%20FAQ%20Sheet_final.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">negative impacts to the environment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It requires a large amount of energy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a danger to the marine ecosystem and its biodiversity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It presents a risk to water quality and creates a change in coastal ecosystems.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, desalination is a global activity. Many industries use it in order to preserve sufficient access to fresh water supply for all people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to UNICEF, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/press-releases\/nearly-600-million-children-will-live-areas-extremely-limited-water-resources-2040#:~:text=Press%20release-,Nearly%20600%20million%20children%20will%20live%20in%20areas%20with,water%20resources%20by%202040%20%2D%20UNICEF&amp;text=NEW%20YORK%2C%2022%20March%202017,released%20on%20World%20Water%20Day.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by 2040, roughly one in four children worldwide will be living in areas of extremely high water stress<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Therefore, we must take care of water resources for current and future generations.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">What are Seawater Batteries?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seawater batteries <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.fiu.edu\/2022\/engineering-students-seawater-battery-project-wins-at-go-green-north-america\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">consist of a dual process<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in which they store energy at the same time that they remove salt ions from water. Scientists use seawater batteries for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pv-magazine.com\/2022\/09\/06\/storing-renewables-with-seawater-batteries\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">desalination projects<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">How do Seawater Batteries Help the Environment?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seawater batteries are an eco-friendly solution for desalination. This is because they replace <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-developed-seawater-battery-is-safer-for-people-and-environment\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">toxic and flammable<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> batteries that can affect soil and pollute bodies of water. Seawater batteries are more durable, so we can use them in the sea and in extreme conditions, like strong wind and heavy rain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Furthermore, seawater batteries are a way of using clean energy. They can store energy through the conversion of seawater into renewable energy.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Other Technologies to use<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, there are several innovative technologies available to use in desalination:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/exploring-forward-osmosis-worth\/\"><b>Reverse osmosis (RO):<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> RO is an option for removing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ide-tech.com\/en\/solutions\/desalination\/what-is-desalination\/?data=item_1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">salt ions and molecules in water<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It uses a solvent that passes through a membrane. In other words, the solvent (water) moves from a low to high area of solute concentration.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lenntech.com\/processes\/electrodialysis-ed-.htm\"><b>Electrodialysis (ED)<\/b><\/a><b>: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ED is a process in which a semipermeable membrane uses electric potential, which is the amount of energy required to move a charge. It\u2019s used to remove ions from water.\u00a0 A disadvantage is that it only moves charged particles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/engineering\/multi-stage-flash-distillation\"><b>Multi-stage flash distillation (MSF<\/b><\/a><b>)<\/b><b>: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MSF consists of a multi-phase process that involves desalinating the water distilled from the sea. Basically, a part of the water turns into steam through several stages by using heat.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scientists continue to work to find out more about how to improve technologies for desalination. They\u2019re still making technology to reduce the effects of desalination in water.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 600; font-size: 24pt;\">Future Perspectives<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chemistryworld.com\/news\/electrolyte-redesign-boosts-seawater-battery\/4015773.article\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many researchers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have been working on durability, extending the product&#8217;s life, and increasing its storage system. They expect to create this technology through materials science, new engineering processes, and battery developments. Further research will improve this technology for wider applications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">What can you do to Save Water?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a few ways you can <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectwater.info\/100-ways-to-conserve-water.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">preserve water<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take part in public awareness campaigns to draw attention to desalination.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you live in a country or region with water bodies at risk, urge your government to better manage cleaning sewage and wastewater.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reduce water usage by taking shorter showers, and don&#8217;t forget to always check for water leaks. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Brigitte Rodriguez, Associate Researcher &amp; Writer for Save The Water\u2122 | October 1, 2022 In recent&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12900,"featured_media":116017,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,61,65],"tags":[569,575],"yst_prominent_words":[934,942,937,638,800,1511,2450,2843],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116006"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12900"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116006"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116236,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116006\/revisions\/116236"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116006"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=116006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}