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MIT Passive Desalination system could produce freshwater that is cheaper than tap water, scales down to the size of a suitcase. (news.mit.edu)

submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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According to MIT, this technology works even at small scale, with one the size of a suitcase able to desalinate 6 litres per hour, and only needing to be serviced every few years.

Here's a video detailing how it works.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Depends on the person - I have seen households where a person uses less than 20 liters per day. :)

Besides, seawater can be used to wash oneself or flush a toilet - I think it's the use of drinking water that makes a difference.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago

Saltwater isn't great for utilities, because it's extremely corrosive. The saltwater would function ok for a while, but it would eventually destroy the toilet. Additionally, the saltwater would need to be sent down the sewage for waste disposal, which the entire processing flow would need to be updated to handle saltwater.

It's much cheaper to use freshwater to start with.