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Desalination system could produce freshwater that is cheaper than tap water (news.mit.edu)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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MIT engineers and collaborators developed a solar-powered device that avoids salt-clogging issues of other designs.

More details in their paper here

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[–] 19 points 2 years ago (2 children)

The researchers estimate that if the system is scaled up to the size of a small suitcase, it could produce about 4 to 6 liters of drinking water per hour and last several years before requiring replacement parts. At this scale and performance, the system could produce drinking water at a rate and price that is cheaper than tap water.

But can it be scaled up even more? Like cubic meters per hour?

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    but why "if"?

    if they're making this research, why wouldn't they "scale up to the size of a small suitcase" and get rid of the "if"?

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  • [–] 14 points 2 years ago

    That's just how research works most of the time. The experimental setup required to build a working prototype and prove the initial hypothesis is always going to be larger and more complex than a mass market appliance. If that appliance ever gets built depends on a huge number of factors too. If the process scales as expected, how complex the device is to produce and if a company thinks that it can make money on it. The researchers, meanwhile, are probably more worried about their next grant funding.

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