In a world coming to terms with escalating water scarcity, desalination can offer a glimmer of hope. This process, converting seawater into freshwater, already provides a lifeline to regions facing ongoing droughts and dwindling freshwater reserves. But what is desalination, how does it work, and what are the invaluable benefits – or setbacks – it could bring to the global water crisis?

What is desalination?

Desalination is a complicated process that transforms seawater into freshwater, making it suitable for drinking and irrigation. With water scarcity rising and the global demand for freshwater increasing, especially in dry regions, desalination has become a vital process to provide fresh drinking water.

Basic desalination involves two main techniques: distillation and reverse osmosis. The distillation process heats seawater to create steam, which is then condensed back into a liquid, leaving behind the salt and any impurities. The reverse osmosis process uses a special semi-porous membrane to filtrate salt and other contaminants, allowing only freshwater to pass through.

The benefits of desalination

One of desalination’s key benefits is the ability to turn undrinkable sea water into a source of pure, fresh drinking water. This process is essential in countries where traditional water sources are scarce, including Pakistan, Morocco, Algeria, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. Plants can create millions of cubic metres of water annually, but desalination provides many more wide-ranging benefits as well, including:

A reliable water source

Desalination can provide a reliable and consistent water supply that doesn't rely on climate conditions. This process is particularly valuable in regions where traditional water sources are unreliable or subject to droughts.

Reducing drought impact

By tapping into our vast seawater reserves, desalination plants offer a drought-resistant source of freshwater, helping communities and agriculture survive long, dry periods without compromising their water needs.

Preserving freshwater supplies

As populations grow and water sources shrink, desalination offers an alternative, easing the pressure on lakes and rivers. By tapping into seawater supply, desalination can be a sustainable way to meet the increasing need for fresh water.

Why don't we use desalination more?

While desalination might sound like the ideal solution to conserving our freshwater supplies, there can be drawbacks and challenges to overcome before it’s a more globally viable option. One of the most significant drawbacks is the cost. Desalination plants cost a lot of money to build and operate, which makes them less accessible for widespread use.

There’s also the environmental effect to consider. Currently, for a desalination plant to create serious amounts of drinking water, it takes a lot of energy, which is usually produced by fossil fuels, and makes many emissions in the process. Until more sustainable and robust energy solutions are more widely available, this can be a big drawback.

Pure drinking water from Thirsty Work

We’re in a fortunate position where the UK only has a few desalination plants and doesn’t rely on them for our pure drinking water. Instead, Thirsty Work can offer you one of our low-cost, energy-efficient, and sustainable bottled water coolers. Using water from our natural spring in Shropshire, each bottle gives you pure, filtered, great-tasting water for naturally refreshing hydration.

While you find out more about where our water comes from, why not get your free quote or start your 10-day bottled water cooler free trial to see how good it tastes? Call the Thirsty Work team on 01392 877 172, email hello@thirstywork.com, or message us today.