Only 0.003% of water on earth is fresh and can be used for drinking, agriculture and industrial processes. Worldwide, 844 million people lack access to clean water. According to the Union of International Associations (UIA), secure and adequate water supply has become one of the most critical challenges the world is facing today.
Agriculture is the most fresh-water intensive activity and accounts for 70% of total usage globally. Desalination is essential for agriculture industry, providing viable fresh water from the sea and brackish sources. This, however, requires tailored, cheap and low energy solutions that can be implemented in situ.
Desalination is at the core of the water-energy nexus. One of the biggest challenges desalination faces is energy efficiency. A desalination plant supplying water to 300,000 people is equivalent to a jumbo jet’s power. Reducing energy transformation steps is at the heart of an efficient desalination process.
Avsalt develops an all-electric Desalination System with high efficiency and sustainable footprint, tending to the global water shortage of potable water and farm water.
The invention is scalable and deployable in-line, desalting brackish water. Ideal for onsite operation, the device uses porous carbon electrodes and can run on electricity from solar panels – with no need of high-pressure generation or high-maintenance membranes.
Poor energy efficiency plagues all water desalting methods. Each cell uses multiple parallel porous electrodes with low applied voltages to desalt water. The device operates at low water pressure with constant flow, to perform orthogonal deionization without chemical reactions.
The invention is scalable and deployable in-line for the desalting of brackish water
A laboratory proven desalination system with the aim to offer the world’s most efficient, cost effective and low-energy desalting technology. With porous electrodes and continuous flow, the system enables maximal ion separation and continuous flow.
Avsalt’s technology is all-electric, and circumvents use of high operational pressures, membranes or moving parts – thereby maximizing efficiency, and minimizing energy losses and maintenance costs.
