[Sea Water Desalination] Desired Outcomes of this Project
Build a device or system that can desalinate sea water and convert it to pure drinking water that can be stored and transported if required.
Note: The concepts here are supplemental to other methods of sea water desalination. Project contributors can do further investigation and come up with better and more innovative ways to convert sea water to potable drinking water.
Description
Water is one of the most precious commodities in today's world. Even though the planet has over 70% of water, less than 1% is suitable for drinking. The remaining water is available in the form of sea water which needs to be treated and used for drinking and agricultural.
This project is a combination of 2 methods of desalinating sea water.
- Evaporation and condensation using Peltier modules
- Evaporation and condensation using carbon coated surfaces
Combine these together with rain water harvesting and create a sustainable and continuous supply of water for drinking and other purposes where saline water cannot be used (farming, animal breeding, cleaning, etc.).
The most popular method of water desalination by using reverse osmosis technology where pressure is applied on sea water and pure water is pushed through a semi-permeable membrane that allows only water molecules through and blocks salt molecules from passing through the membrane. This process is expensive to install and use. In addition, the byproduct, called brine is unusable and is often released back into the sea. Due to its high salinity, the brine may cause adverse effects to marine life. Another disadvantage of this method is the carbon footprint it produces due to burning of fuel fossils to keep the desalination running.
Why this is Important
While 70% of the earth's surface constitutes water, only 1% of that is available for drinking and purposes like farming, supporting the flora and fauna found on land. By 2025, researchers predict a dire shortage of potable and drinking water in all parts of the world.
What this Project needs to move forward
A team of highly talented, skilled and motivated people who can hit the ground running. We need these skills to move this project forward:
- Electronics Major - Must have a thorough working knowledge of Peltier modules in Electronics circuits.
- Structural Engineers - To design and build long term heating and cooling chambers.
- Chemistry Majors - To be able to reuse or dispose resulting byproducts in an ecofriendly way.
- Hands-on builders - people that can build this project using all different methods, do side by side comparisons on how much water can come from each method, take measurements, run load tests, and record results.
Incentives
Highlights of working on this project
- Collaborate with talented people from different domains and areas of study and expertise
- Build a strong team with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds
- Learn project management, project reporting, delivery cycles
- Work in a highly energized environment that focuses on high quality product development
- Discover, learn, innovate, and invent new ways for preserving and growing marine life
- Have fun in a super charged team of professionals students, collaborators, sponsors
For Contributors
- Remuneration - This is not a sponsored project. You will get credits, honorable mentions and a Certificate of Contribution from Ocean Builders.
- Learning - This project offers you opportunities to learn about this concept/topic/technology. You will get to collaborate and work with industry experts and professionals who will share their experiences and guide you along with their best practices.
- Culture - Work with people from different backgrounds, cultures, nationalities and get exposure to working on cross-functional and virtual teams.
- Get Your Hands Dirty - Roll up your sleeves and get practical on this project. Experience the joy of designing or building a machine/system/device that will be used by millions of people worldwide. If you are not co-located, video conference with your team and collaborate.
- Build and Grow your Professional Network - Collaborate on this project, make friends, and grow your professional network.
For Sponsors
- Top Talent - Work with talented people and find new recruits for your business as you see this project take shape.
- Goodwill - Get positive goodwill for your brand as a sponsor who is building something innovating and contributing to the future.
- Personal and Business Use - Use this system and technology for your home/boat/ship/company/organization
Branding - Brand it with your organization identity. - Monetize - Invest in his project and take it to market with your brand identity
For Users
- Get involved in the design phase and share your thoughts on how you would use this product or technology in your daily lives.
- Give feedback at regular intervals and development stages to help this team to design and build a user-friendly system or technology.
- Work with people from different countries, cultures, backgrounds and experiences. It's fun!
Academia
Get Recognition - Participate as an academician/student and contribute to research papers, college projects and participate in local, state, national, and international academic or technical conferences. Present papers on the innovations and advancements that have been made.