Why don’t we desalinate seawater for unlimited drinking water? An expert explains what you’re not thinking about. In his recent interview with ‘The Wild Project’, chemist Aythami Soto explains why it’s not as viable as it might seem.
The drinking water crisis is a global problem affecting more and more regions of the world. With 97% of the planet’s water contained in the oceans, desalination seems like an obvious solution. However, in his recent interview with The Wild Project, chemist Aythami Soto explains why it is not as viable as it may first appear.
The main drawback of desalination is its high energy consumption. “You need a lot of electricity to separate the salt from the water,” explains Soto, who also points out that although some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, are investing in the technology, its sustainability remains questionable due to high costs and dependence on energy sources that are not always renewable.
Another problem with desalination is the residual brine, a by-product that is highly concentrated in salt and other compounds. “It is a waste that is not easy to dispose of and, if dumped back into the sea in large quantities, can alter entire ecosystems,” warns the expert. This accumulation of waste is a key environmental concern for many scientists.
In addition, the most commonly used technology for desalinating water, reverse osmosis, has its own limitations. The process, which forces water through semi-permeable membranes to remove impurities, requires considerable pressure and is expensive to maintain. “The filters have to be constantly repaired and replaced,” says Soto, “which is a constant investment in infrastructure.
Despite these difficulties, desalination is an essential solution in places where there are no other alternatives, such as the Canary Islands. “There are no rivers in the Canary Islands, so we rely on desalination, but the water we get is not the best for direct consumption,” explains the chemist, pointing out the taste and quality problems that this process can cause.
So is it possible that in the future we will be able to use seawater more efficiently? It all depends on technological progress and the transition to energy sources that can reduce the cost and environmental impact of this practice. In the meantime, the best strategy remains to optimise freshwater use and reduce waste.
