Water Crisis? Desalination is the Answer
What is the most effective way to save water? It is a commonly asked question, and the answer is not always obvious even after researching. However, I am here to convince you all that desalination is the best, for Australia at least.
Australia is the driest inhabited continent, and it's population is growing. This means we need more water and a more efficient way of getting that water. There are also many droughts that occur, in particular in the central, western and southern parts, however this can still happen anywhere in Australia. In addition, many parts of Australia are suffering from water shortages per year from 8 months in some areas, to 12 months in others. And the places that do get enough water are small areas in the northern part, where not many people live.
Desalination is the process of taking seawater and removing the salt, producing fairly large amounts of potable water. There are two main processes of doing this: distillation and reverse osmosis. Distillation involves heating water and then collecting the water vapour in a different place and then turning the vapour back into water. This takes out all the extra things in the water and makes it pure drinking water, with no salt or minerals that sea water usually has. Reverse osmosis involves having a membrane with lots of tiny holes in it and saltwater on one side and pure water on the other side and then using pressure to push the saltwater through the holes in the membrane. This leaves the salt behind, due to salt molecules being bigger than water molecules.
Australia is the driest inhabited continent, and it's population is growing. This means we need more water and a more efficient way of getting that water. There are also many droughts that occur, in particular in the central, western and southern parts, however this can still happen anywhere in Australia. In addition, many parts of Australia are suffering from water shortages per year from 8 months in some areas, to 12 months in others. And the places that do get enough water are small areas in the northern part, where not many people live.
Desalination is the process of taking seawater and removing the salt, producing fairly large amounts of potable water. There are two main processes of doing this: distillation and reverse osmosis. Distillation involves heating water and then collecting the water vapour in a different place and then turning the vapour back into water. This takes out all the extra things in the water and makes it pure drinking water, with no salt or minerals that sea water usually has. Reverse osmosis involves having a membrane with lots of tiny holes in it and saltwater on one side and pure water on the other side and then using pressure to push the saltwater through the holes in the membrane. This leaves the salt behind, due to salt molecules being bigger than water molecules.
You might be wondering how much it would cost to build a desalination plant. How long is a piece of string? The price of building a desalination plant depends on where it gets the water from, location, the process they use to desalinate the water and the size of the plant itself. This can end up costing hundreds of millions of dollars, not including how much it costs to run it. For example, the Wonthaggi Desalination Plant cost a total of about $5.7 billion, including the cost to run it. Pipes would also be needed to transport water, adding to the cost.
How long it takes for a desalination plant to be built can vary. It probably depends on the size and complexity of the plant and how much piping needs to be built. They usually take about 2 years to build. They can then be used in droughts to provide a continuous supply of water coming from the biggest source of water on the Earth - oceans.
So, you may be thinking that desalination sounds very expensive. However, dams can cost even more money to build. They also can take a long time to build, and they have drastic environmental drawbacks. For example, if a dam is being built on a river and there are people living in the area, then they have to be moved, and in some cases this can end up very bad for the original owners of the land, especially if they refuse to move. Another bad effect of dams is that they can ruin the cycle of migratory fish. When it comes to recycled water, it can be a cheaper and more eco-friendly, however recycling water creates class-A recycled water, while desalination plants produce potable water. Finally, piping and dams both have something in common: they rely on rain. Desalination can be used whether it is a drought or a wet season. They can be used at any time.
Australia is an island country. Most of the population lives near the coast. This makes desalination a great option for Australia, as the piping doesn't have to go far and there are plenty of places along the coast to build the plants. They can then be piped inland. They also supply a large supply of water, the Wonthaggi plant producing an estimated 410 mega litres a day. Also, as Australia is prone to droughts, desalination provides a great water source that can be used any time of the year, even during droughts.
So, in conclusion, I believe I have clearly stated the benefits of desalination and I hope that I have convinced you that Australia would be a better place and suffer less from water loss if we build desalination plants.