DESALINATION

The removal of salt from seawater or brackish water to produce drinking water, using various techniques. Desalination has grown in importance and usage due to seawater being an unlimited and dependable source of water for coastal populations around the world. Desalination is a process that works in eliminating salts and dissolved minerals from mainly seawater, but also brackish or municipal water. While there are several desalination technologies available, reverse osmosis is by far the most common form of utilization, with distillation and electrodialysis being secondary choices. There are more than 8,000 desalination plants operating globally with the majority of them residing in the Middle East. Climate and water-scarcity are the main reason for this region’s greater need for desalination with Saudi Arabia producing the most amount of desalinated water. Only about 12% of global desalinated water is produced in the Americas with Florida having the highest concentration.