When salt is removed from seawater in desalination plants, the byproduct is – not surprisingly – a lot of highly-concentrated salty brine. Ordinarily, this is just dumped back into the sea, which can harm the environment. Thanks to researchers at MIT, however, that brine could soon be used to desalinate more water. What the researchers have created is a system that removes the unwanted compounds from the brine and turns into useful chemicals such as sodium hydroxide. The reason this chemical is important is that it’s commonly utilized to change the acidity of seawater entering desalination plants, which in turn helps to the filtration systems that remove salt work optimally. Usually, plant operators have to buy the chemical, but with the MIT system, operators would be able to produce even more than they need, on-site. It’s a win-win for both the environment and desalination plant operators.
The waste product of desalination plants could be used to desalinate more water
More of Today's Solutions
How carbon credits helped unlock the Great Koala National Park in NSW
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM The Great Koala National Park might sound like a place that’s too good to be true, but it ...
Read MoreAstronomers discovered first green star ever. And it’s powered by a dea...
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM For most of human history, the night sky came in a limited palette. Orange for the cooler stars, ...
Read MoreCA to return property to Black family after illegally seizing it 100 years ago
The Chicago suburb of Evanston has launched the country’s first reparations program to compensate for the racism and discrimination Black Americans have historically experienced ...
Read MoreManchester City is the first to offer soccer fans edible coffee cups
Soccer fans rejoice! In many cases, fans have returned to the stands after months and months of empty stadiums. However, returning fans aren’t just ...
Read More
