Name:Jairo Herrera Montes

Date: 2018-02-08
Subject: Water Treament Theme: Desalinate the water
Water desalination processes separate dissolved salts and other minerals from water.
Feedwater sources may include brackish, seawater, wells, surface (rivers and streams),
wastewater, and industrial feed and process waters. Membrane separation requires driving
forces including pressure (applied and vapor), electric potential, and concentration to
overcome natural osmotic pressures and effectively force water through membrane
processes. (American Membrane Technology Association, 2016)
Methods of Desalination
At least three principle methods of desalination exist: thermal, electrical, and reverse
osmosis:
Thermal Desalination
In thermal distillation, the water is boiled and then the steam is collected, leaving the salt
behind. However, the vaporization phase change requires significant amounts of energy.
Electrical
A second major type of desalination utilizes electric current to separate the water and salt.
Typically, electric current will be used to drive ions across a selectively permeable
membrane, carrying the dissociated salt ions with it. A key characteristic of this method
is that the energy requirement depends on how much salt is initially present in the water
( Parise, 2012).
Reverse Osmosis
“A third principle method of desalination is reverse osmosis, in which pressure is used to
drive water through a selectively permeable membrane, leaving the salt behind” ( Parise,
2012)
Reverse osmosis is generally considered to be the least energy consuming of all the large-
scale processes.There are several setbacks of reverse osmosis. The membranes are
currently prone to gather too much bacteria and “clog up,” although they have improved
since they were first used. The membranes deteriorate when chlorine is used to treat the
bacteria.Other setbacks are the arguable water quality that reverse osmosis produces,
along with the considerable pre-treatment that the salt water requires (Thought.Co, 2017).

Bibliografía
American Membrane Technology Association. (2016). Water Desalination Processes. Florida-
USA.Disponible en la url:
https://www.amtaorg.com/Water_Desalination_Processes.html
Parise, T. (2012). Water Desalination. California.Disponible en la url:
https://sciencing.com/methods-desalination-5038235.html
Thought.Co. (2017). Water Desalination. Texas.Disponible en la url:
https://www.thoughtco.com/water-desalination-definition-1435826