The water desalination process involves the elimination of the amount of salt dissolved in the liquid. Modern desalination technologies can obtain drinking water by using sea or brackish water directly. Often these technologies are used in the oil / gas sector to obtain water for use in extraction and refining plants. 97.5% of the world's water, in the form of seas and oceans, is salty while only 2.5% is sweet. Scientists all over the planet are currently looking for simple and efficient ways to desalinate seawater and thus make it an exploitable resource in obtaining drinking water. However, it is also possible to desalinate water on a domestic scale, by building a simple home desalination machine.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Assemble the Required Materials
Step 1. Get a bottle of water and iodized salt
In order to power your desalinator you must first create salt water. To do this, buy a normal bottle of drinking water and common iodized salt. If you don't want to buy packaged water, you can fill a bottle with tap water.
If you live near the sea or the ocean, you can skip this step and use the salt water of the sea directly to fill an empty bottle. This is the perfect resource to use with our home desalination machine
Step 2. Get a ceramic mug (possibly a classic English mug) and a large glass bowl
The tureen will act as a container for the salt extracted from the water during the desalination process, while the fresh water will be collected in the ceramic cup. The glass tureen must be large enough to accommodate the ceramic mug inside.
You will also need a piece of cling film, large enough to cover the top of the bowl, and a small weight (such as a small rock)
Step 3. Find a spot that has direct access to sunlight, such as a window sill
It will be the place where you will go to place your desalination plant. The work will in fact be carried out entirely by the light and heat of the sun, which will heat the salt water making the air inside the bowl humid. The humidity present in the air will condense inside the cup, becoming excellent drinking water.
Part 2 of 2: Creating the Desalinator
Step 1. Pour 2.5cm of drinking water into the ceramic cup
You don't have to fill the cup to the brim, a 2.5cm layer of drinking water will be more than enough.
Mix enough salt to the water to make it salty. Start by adding small amounts of iodized salt, then taste it to make sure it has the right salinity. At the end of the tasting, make sure that the amount of water in the cup is still 2.5 cm deep. If not, add more liquid
Step 2. Pour the salted water into the glass bowl
At this point you will need to rinse and dry the mug carefully to remove any traces of salt.
After you've thoroughly washed the cup, place it in the center of the glass bowl you poured the salted water into
Step 3. Cover the top of the bowl with cling film
Make sure the cling film is snug over the cup and snug against the edges of the bowl. There should be no openings around the edge of the glass container.
Step 4. Place your desalinator in direct contact with sunlight
Find a window sill or outdoor shelf that is exposed to direct sunlight. Make sure the bowl is placed on a surface that is flooded with sunlight.
Place a small weight or small rock in the center of the foil covering the bowl, just above the ceramic cup. The foil should give way slightly due to the weight, this will ensure that the condensed water on the foil falls back exactly into the cup so that it can be drunk
Step 5. Leave the bowl exposed to sunlight for 3-4 hours
After being exposed to the sun for some time, the air inside it should be very humid due to the evaporation of the water present on the bottom. Condensation should have formed on the inside of the film which, thanks to the small weight on the outside, will collect inside the mug.
Step 6. Check the contents of the cup
After exposing the bowl to the sun for 3-4 hours, a small amount of water should have formed inside the mug. Remove the foil and taste the liquid contained in the cup. It should have a pure, fresh water flavor.
- This rudimentary desalinator works by harnessing the sun's heat to heat the salt water and evaporate it. The cling film serves to trap the water vapor generated by evaporation inside the bowl. Since the cling film will be much colder than the rest of the bowl, the moisture in the air will condense on its surface, forming small drops of pure water.
- Over time, the drops of water on the film will grow in size, starting to move towards the center of the bowl, thanks to the small weight placed on the outside. As the drops of humidity, with the passage of time, will become bigger and heavier, thanks to the force of gravity they will end up falling inside the mug. The result produced by this very simple desalinator will be a cup of excellent fresh water without any trace of salt.
