Overview
Fresh water is becoming more scarce. Climate change and growing populations are threatening many traditionally reliable sources, while seawater intrusion, agricultural runoff, and industrial contamination are making existing sources more saline. An increasing number of people are being forced to drink brackish water, water so salty that drinking it means great suffering.
Project Vision and Strategy
We aim to develop a treatment method to generate affordable, potable water from the abundantly available brackish water sources, particularly in rural and remote areas. We will explore Capacitive Deionization (CDI), combined with a unique voltage-pulsing arrangement, which together have the potential to treat brackish sources more efficiently and affordably than ever before.
Lead Researchers
- Professor Ashok Gadgil, Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory