Initial Publication Date: August 12, 2008
Drought Mitigation Trade-offs
What are the trade-offs for mitigating drought through desalinization of sea water?
Explore the positive and negative aspects of desalinization of seawater as a source of freshwater? The following links can provide a starting point for your research.
- Why it's so hard to make salt water drinkable
- Desalination Breakthrough: Saving the Sea from Salt
- One of the driest countries on Earth now makes more freshwater than it needs
- Watch this brief video on desalination and how it's currently being used in California.
Hands-on Activity
Distill a sample of salt water to produce freshwater.
- Gather these materials:
- 400 mL beaker with 200 mL tap water plus 7 g salt
- hot plate
- ring stand
- glass funnel
- clamp
- one-hole stopper with bent glass tube
- rubber tubing
- 200 mL beaker
- watch glass
- Put a drop of the saltwater on the watch glass and set it in a warm place to evaporate. Examine the residue left behind on the watch glass after the water evaporates.
- Assemble the lab equipment as shown.
- Turn hot plate on and bring salt water to a gentle boil.
- Test the final product for solute by putting a drop on the watch plate and letting it evaporate. After the water has evaporated, check that spot for any residue.
- Examine the container that held the original sample.