The process of desalinization is removing salts from salt water in order to produce fresh water. Desalinization can be used for many different things. The most common use it to make potable water from salt water for domestic or municipal reasons. Desalinization is surging in growth for industrial purposes. Most notably in the oil and gas industry. 97.5% of the worlds water is salt water that derives from the many different oceans on this planet. 2.5% of the worlds water is fresh water. Of that 2.5%, approximately 69% is found frozen in glaciers and ice caps. That leaves less than 30 percent in fresh groundwater. 1% is found in swamps. Desalinization comes with many pros. The understanding of reverse osmosis is important in desalinization.
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The process can be very expensive. On average, a desalinization takes 2 kWh of energy to create 1 cubic meter of fresh water. The most expensive part of this is from the costs of fossil fuels. They are used for generating electricity in order for the plant to be operational. The plants are expensive to build. Operations cost at the plants are reasonable, but building them is always a topic of discussion because of the very high costs. One big problem with desalinization plants is the massive amount of energy it consumes. Distillation is a required process which includes boiling large amounts of water before it can be reused. Also, osmosis (natural process) requires a large amount of energy to reverse. Desalinization has many critics and opponents that argue the cost of energy is simply too much for a plant to be operational for a long term basis. Brine is a waste product that is created while producing fresh water out of salt water. Brine is strong enough to kill wildlife and vegetation when it comes into contact with it. Critics argue that high amounts of greenhouse gases can be created by desalinization plants. The process of removing salt from salt water could impact the environment in a negative way, more importantly the air that we breathe on a daily basis. Experts argue that desalinization plants are almost never built when they are needed the most. Some desalinization plants are being built in places where they will only achieve …show more content…
In 1991, a desalinization plant was built in Santa Barbara due to the 1987-1992 drought. Heavy rainfall caused the plant to become inefficient with costs. The plant was closed down in 1992. Plans to reopen the plant are being determined as the building is outdated and would need new funding to upgrade it to current standards. Cost effective options are still on the table. A new study by the Pacific Institute and NRDC presents how California’s drought can water resources can be better maintained to save water. Introducing water-saving measures can save California 5.2 to 7.1 million acre-feet of water yearly in urban areas. This would equal the production of 125 large desalinization plants. Viable water management is best served by forming an extensive water management plan in California, one that takes the cost efficient route
The process can be very expensive. On average, a desalinization takes 2 kWh of energy to create 1 cubic meter of fresh water. The most expensive part of this is from the costs of fossil fuels. They are used for generating electricity in order for the plant to be operational. The plants are expensive to build. Operations cost at the plants are reasonable, but building them is always a topic of discussion because of the very high costs. One big problem with desalinization plants is the massive amount of energy it consumes. Distillation is a required process which includes boiling large amounts of water before it can be reused. Also, osmosis (natural process) requires a large amount of energy to reverse. Desalinization has many critics and opponents that argue the cost of energy is simply too much for a plant to be operational for a long term basis. Brine is a waste product that is created while producing fresh water out of salt water. Brine is strong enough to kill wildlife and vegetation when it comes into contact with it. Critics argue that high amounts of greenhouse gases can be created by desalinization plants. The process of removing salt from salt water could impact the environment in a negative way, more importantly the air that we breathe on a daily basis. Experts argue that desalinization plants are almost never built when they are needed the most. Some desalinization plants are being built in places where they will only achieve …show more content…
In 1991, a desalinization plant was built in Santa Barbara due to the 1987-1992 drought. Heavy rainfall caused the plant to become inefficient with costs. The plant was closed down in 1992. Plans to reopen the plant are being determined as the building is outdated and would need new funding to upgrade it to current standards. Cost effective options are still on the table. A new study by the Pacific Institute and NRDC presents how California’s drought can water resources can be better maintained to save water. Introducing water-saving measures can save California 5.2 to 7.1 million acre-feet of water yearly in urban areas. This would equal the production of 125 large desalinization plants. Viable water management is best served by forming an extensive water management plan in California, one that takes the cost efficient route