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The article links to another article with a lot more detail about the system: https://news.mit.edu/2022/portable-desalination-drinking-water-0428 https://news.

by elihu 4y ago

The article links to another article with a lot more detail about the system: https://news.mit.edu/2022/portable-desalination-drinking-water-0428 https://news.mit.edu/2022/portable-desalination-drinking-wat... 20 watt hours per liter of water seems to be the important number. I wonder if this system would also work for concentrating brines, if one's goal wasn't to produce clean water but rather extract certain valuable minerals, like lithium?

WaitWaitWha 4y ago
Slight correction > Their prototype generates drinking water at a rate of 0.3 liters per hour, and requires only 20 watt-hours per liter. So it takes 3+ hours to make a liter, using 20Wh.
- jakear 4y ago
  So? It's trivially paralleled, this isn't a case of 9 women making a baby in a month. Just run three devices, get 1 liter in 1 hour with 20 watts.
  - jvalencia 4y ago
    20 watts each -> 60 watts?
    - Dylan16807 4y ago
      20 watt-hours per liter multiplied by .3 liters per hour equals 6 watts each.
      - jvalencia 4y ago
        thanks, read that too fast
thghtihadanacct 4y ago
Lots of gold in that water too. Mostly salt tho
- elihu 4y ago
  I figure there must be a lot of things in sea water that might be valuable, if only you could concentrate them. Or in brines that are extracted from underground, like how some lithium is currently mined if I understand correctly.
itissid 4y ago
> Concentrated Brines Like the ones NASA has on the shuttle https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-brine-processor-increases-water-recycling-on-international-space-station https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-brine-processor-increases-w... right?
zo1 4y ago
Is it just me or does this kind of thing just feel so weird and out of place: > "The researchers also created a smartphone app that can control the unit wirelessly and report real-time data on power consumption and water salinity."
- thombat 4y ago
  For version 2 they're adding themes for the social media icons

by elihu 4y ago

WaitWaitWha 4y ago

Slight correction > Their prototype generates drinking water at a rate of 0.3 liters per hour, and requires only 20 watt-hours per liter. So it takes 3+ hours to make a liter, using 20Wh.

jakear 4y ago
So? It's trivially paralleled, this isn't a case of 9 women making a baby in a month. Just run three devices, get 1 liter in 1 hour with 20 watts.
- jvalencia 4y ago
  20 watts each -> 60 watts?
  - Dylan16807 4y ago
    20 watt-hours per liter multiplied by .3 liters per hour equals 6 watts each.
    - jvalencia 4y ago
      thanks, read that too fast

thghtihadanacct 4y ago

Lots of gold in that water too. Mostly salt tho

elihu 4y ago
I figure there must be a lot of things in sea water that might be valuable, if only you could concentrate them. Or in brines that are extracted from underground, like how some lithium is currently mined if I understand correctly.

itissid 4y ago

> Concentrated Brines Like the ones NASA has on the shuttle https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-brine-processor-increases-water-recycling-on-international-space-station https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-brine-processor-increases-w... right?

zo1 4y ago

Is it just me or does this kind of thing just feel so weird and out of place: > "The researchers also created a smartphone app that can control the unit wirelessly and report real-time data on power consumption and water salinity."

thombat 4y ago
For version 2 they're adding themes for the social media icons