MIT team develops new device that turns seawater into drinking water with the touch of a button

MIT scientists build a device that turns seawater into drinking water

It is not impossible to turn seawater into drinking water. But it often requires heavy, bulky desalination equipment. Back in April, however, MIT researchers shared a suitcase-sized device that can desalinize water at the push of a button.

Most portable desalination systems require water to pass through a filter. This new device, however, uses electricity to remove particles from the water. This makes it possible to produce potable water without worrying about long-term maintenance requirements. This is especially important where portable devices like this can provide drinking water to entire communities.

Being able to turn seawater into drinking water could change the lives of many communities, especially those on small islands. This portable unit would also be useful on seagoing cargo ships. It could even be used to aid refugees fleeing natural disasters. Of course, it would also be useful in military operations where long-term water supply is more difficult.

Ion concentration polarization

Instead of using filters to clean seawater and turn it into drinking water, the device uses ion concentration polarization (or ICP). ICP was pioneered nearly a decade ago by Jongyoon Han and a research team. It applies an electric field to the membrane above and below the water, which will then repel particles as it passes through.

However, ICP does not always remove all the salt particles floating in the water. To get around this, the researchers added another process, electrodialysis, which they used to remove any remaining salt ions. Overall, the system worked well, allowing the researchers to turn seawater into drinking water.

Of course, building something in a lab is one thing. To actually test the product, MIT said, the researchers took it to a beach and field tested the device. On its first run, it was able to successfully turn seawater into drinking water. But Han noted that this success is only due to all the progress made in desalination technology along the way.