Seawater desalination is the use of seawater desalination to produce fresh water, which is an open-source incremental technology to realize the utilization of water resources. Through seawater desalination, the total amount of fresh water can be increased regardless of time, space and climate, so as to ensure a stable water supply such as drinking water for coastal residents and water supply for industrial boilers. Seawater desalination methods include seawater freezing method, electrodialysis method, distillation method, reverse osmosis method, and ammonium carbonate ion exchange method, among which reverse osmosis membrane method and distillation method are the mainstream in the market.
However, desalination technology also faces some problems and challenges:
The technical level is not high
the desalination technology in some regions or countries started late, there is a certain gap with the international advanced level, and there is a lack of independent innovation ability, mainly relying on imported equipment and technology.
High energy consumption and high cost: The high energy consumption of seawater desalination technology leads to high production costs, which affects the development and promotion of the industry to a certain extent.
Environmental issues
The high concentration of brine produced during the desalination process may pollute the environment and have a certain impact on the marine ecosystem.
Comprehensive utilization
At present, the seawater desalination industry mainly focuses on desalination of seawater, and ignores the comprehensive utilization of seawater desalination, which leads to the waste of resources.
Regional imbalance
The desalination industry may be more concentrated in some areas, such as developed coastal areas, while inland areas are less developed and utilized, which leads to waste and imbalance of resources.
Insufficient policy support
The government’s policy support for the desalination industry may not be enough, and the support for technology research and development, industrial development and marketing needs to be strengthened.
Low public awareness
Although desalination technology can alleviate the problem of freshwater scarcity to a certain extent, due to its relatively high cost, public awareness of it may be low, which affects its promotion and application in the market.
In view of these problems, it is necessary for the government, enterprises and all sectors of society to work together to promote the healthy development of the seawater desalination industry by improving the technical level, reducing energy consumption and cost, strengthening environmental protection measures, promoting comprehensive utilization, strengthening policy support and improving public awareness.
