William Shatner made massive headlines with his scheme to build a pipeline from Seattle to California to solve the state’s water shortage.
Let’s just say we’re glad that real scientists are working on the world’s water problems.
As Popular Science reports, a group of researchers from MIT’s Global Engineering and Research Lab and Jain Irrigation Systems of India have won the $140,000 Desal Prize, a competition run by several global agencies including the USAID, to see “who could create an affordable desalination solution for developing countries.”
The MIT/Jain group’s solution uses solar panels to charge batteries, which then power a system that removes salt through electrodialysis, or a charging system that draws salt out of the water since salt has a “slight electrical charge.” UV light also was used to disinfect water as it passed through the system, Popular Science reports, making drinking water as well.
As the Boston Globe reported last week, the MIT researchers tested their system in the New Mexico desert, where they successfully desalted 2,100 gallons for irrigation. Their hope is that the model will become an “inexpensive system to provide clean water to rural communities across the developing world.”
The winners are now eligible for up to $400,000 in federal grants, according to the Globe, to test their systems in a real-world environment. Of course, this is only a solution for small areas as of now, but if scientists can find a way to build larger, more economically sound desalination plants, it might bode well for water-starved areas, like California.
Maybe Captain Kirk should give his $30 billion, if he gets it, to scientists instead of politicians? Just a thought.