Desalination
Singapore has been testing new desalination technologies which have the potential to increase water supply at lower cost. This could lead to more growth in population and technology, when many believed the area would run out of water by 2061.
The membrane distillation technology uses waste heat released by a incineration plant to boil sea water and collect the water vapor. The salt content in water produced this way can be reduced by 1,000 times while energy consumption is three times less than that used in reverse osmosis.
A demonstration plant is expected to be built next year if a pilot project using this technology goes as planned. Another technology, the variable salinity system, can turn water from the ocean, river, stream or rain water into potable water. A demonstration of this plant will be completed by the end of this year.
Desalination Guide.
March 9, 2006 6:42 AM | Category: Water