Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Cheaper and Cleaner Desalination

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

RIO DE JANEIRO, Mar 7 2011 (IPS) - An engineer from Cape Verde working at the University of São Paulo Polytechnic School in Brazil has developed a system to transform saltwater into drinking water that is both cheaper than current methods and less harmful for the environment. The system, known as a “desalination column”, uses wind energy harnessed with turbines. Saltwater is pumped into the upper part of a cylindrical column. The weight of the water pushes a piston which pressures the air inside the lower chamber of the system. This air exerts force on another compartment, pushing the water through a membrane that acts as a filter and makes the water safe to drink.

Juvenal Rocha Dias, the engineer, was inspired by the drinking water shortage in his homeland. “I wanted to create a desalination alternative for less developed countries. Conventional methods use fossil fuel energy, which makes them more expensive and creates pollution,” he told Tierramérica.