Scientists Make Sea Water Drinkable, Produce 6.3 Million Litres A Day

[shree835]

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Pilot plant to convert sea water is at Tamil Nadu's Kalpakkam
2. Plant has a capacity to produce 6.3 million litres of fresh water a day
3. The fresh water currently being is used at the Kudankulam nuclear reactor

MUMBAI: As 13 states struggle with drought, scientists in a corner of India have devised a way to make potable water - 6.3 million litre of it every day - from sea water. They have also developed certain filtration methods that ensure groundwater containing arsenic and uranium are safe to drink.

The pilot plant at Tamil Nadu's Kalpakkam, built by scientists of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre use waste steam from a nuclear reactor to purify the seawater. Its capacity is 6.3 million litre every day.


Currently, the fresh water is being used at the Kudankulam nuclear reactor. But this reporter tasted the purified water - it tasted like fresh water, not saline at all.

Several such plants have been installed in Punjab, as well as West Bengal, Rajasthan, said KN Vyas, Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to the centre, examines the cycle fitted with a water purifier.

"Besides, BARC has developed several membranes, by which, at a very small cost, groundwater contaminated by uranium or arsenic can be purified and make fit for drinking," Dr Vyas added.

On his recent visit to BARC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pedalled a bicycle that had a water purifier installed on it. It turns dirty contaminated water into potable water. Turning the pedals produces the energy the purifier needs.

The nuclear scientists have also made several household water purifiers that are being marketed all over drought-hit Marathwada. Some these use thin membranes and special filters to separate the contaminants.

http://www.ndtv.com/video/news/scie...kable-produce-6-3-million-liters-a-day-414776

http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/scie...able-produce-6-3-million-liters-a-day-1403274

 

[Jamwal's]

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Pilot plant to convert sea water is at Tamil Nadu's Kalpakkam
2. Plant has a capacity to produce 6.3 million litres of fresh water a day
3. The fresh water currently being is used at the Kudankulam nuclear reactor

MUMBAI: As 13 states struggle with drought, scientists in a corner of India have devised a way to make potable water - 6.3 million litre of it every day - from sea water. They have also developed certain filtration methods that ensure groundwater containing arsenic and uranium are safe to drink.

The pilot plant at Tamil Nadu's Kalpakkam, built by scientists of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre use waste steam from a nuclear reactor to purify the seawater. Its capacity is 6.3 million litre every day.


Currently, the fresh water is being used at the Kudankulam nuclear reactor. But this reporter tasted the purified water - it tasted like fresh water, not saline at all.

Several such plants have been installed in Punjab, as well as West Bengal, Rajasthan, said KN Vyas, Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to the centre, examines the cycle fitted with a water purifier.

"Besides, BARC has developed several membranes, by which, at a very small cost, groundwater contaminated by uranium or arsenic can be purified and make fit for drinking," Dr Vyas added.

On his recent visit to BARC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pedalled a bicycle that had a water purifier installed on it. It turns dirty contaminated water into potable water. Turning the pedals produces the energy the purifier needs.

The nuclear scientists have also made several household water purifiers that are being marketed all over drought-hit Marathwada. Some these use thin membranes and special filters to separate the contaminants.

http://www.ndtv.com/video/news/scie...kable-produce-6-3-million-liters-a-day-414776

http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/scie...able-produce-6-3-million-liters-a-day-1403274

BARC should patent it.

 

[Dandpatta]

Wait, isnt Singapore and Dubai making sea water good enough for drinking already?

 

[Indian Jatt]

i hope they can fit these plants on multiple ships and pump water to coastline cities like mumbai.....these plants can solve half the problem of Indian cities on the coast....

 

[Water Car Engineer]

Wait, isnt Singapore and Dubai making sea water good enough for drinking already?

I think the Israelis are too.

 

[Nilgiri]

BARC should patent it.

Nothing big to patent really.

It's desalination by using an existing nuclear power source and fluid heat exchanger.

Still a very welcome utilisation rather than thermally dumping back into a river/sea (which brings its own problems to the river/marine life).

i hope they can fit these plants on multiple ships and pump water to coastline cities like mumbai.....these plants can solve half the problem of Indian cities on the coast....

Thats very long term since more nuclear reactors first need to be installed and brought online.

 

[Nimitam]

Dhirubhai Ambani had this dream of installing Nuclear power plants along side the Indian coast and using that power to produce Fresh water from the sea and pumping it back to Indian Mainland.

That man was a Genius Visionary. We really need to put that plan into action.

 

[axisofevil]

Dhirubhai Ambani had this dream of installing Nuclear power plants along side the Indian coast and using that power to produce Fresh water from the sea and pumping it back to Indian Mainland.

That man was a Genius Visionary. We really need to put that plan into action.

Nothing genius about it. Nuclear plants on coastal regions need to be looked at extensively before building. Consideration of all factors related to natural calamities need to be taken in to account.

Secondly, cost if the biggest factor of desalinating water. If India can do this cheaply, we are ahead of the curve. I think India will be able to achieve this important parameter.

 

[Nilgiri]

Secondly, cost if the biggest factor of desalinating water. If India can do this cheaply, we are ahead of the curve. I think India will be able to achieve this important parameter.

That depends on the reactor economies of scale that India can achieve with Thorium cycle....since their main objective will be to produce power, not clean water. Clean water production will be just an additional benefit that will detract from the overall cost....which is good but may not be massively significant (depends how the costing is done anyways).

 

[Nimitam]

Nothing genius about it. Nuclear plants on coastal regions need to be looked at extensively before building. Consideration of all factors related to natural calamities need to be taken in to account.

Secondly, cost if the biggest factor of desalinating water. If India can do this cheaply, we are ahead of the curve. I think India will be able to achieve this important parameter.

You are only stating the obvious. Such factors are taken into account when building a house, or a hospital or a nuclear reactor.

I was talking about the vision of Dhirubhai Ambani. He was a genius and Reliance Industries is a testimony to that.

That depends on the reactor economies of scale that India can achieve with Thorium cycle....since their main objective will be to produce power, not clean water. Clean water production will be just an additional benefit that will detract from the overall cost....which is good but may not be massively significant (depends how the costing is done anyways).

Power production need not be the primary objective. Production of Drinking water too can be an objective. Even today people are buying water. A Bottle of Bisler sells for Rs. 15 and that is FAR more expensive than electricity.

You can actually make more money selling water than selling electricity.

 

[Nilgiri]

Power production need not be the primary objective. Production of Drinking water too can be an objective. Even today people are buying water. A Bottle of Bisler sells for Rs. 15 and that is FAR more expensive than electricity.

You can actually make more money selling water than selling electricity.

There are much cheaper ways to conserve and collect water than produce it from sea water from nuclear power.

Its a useful hedge and good for filling certain demand/supply gaps for water in India (cities definitely come to mind)...but it cannot be the only policy India can rely on when there is a vast array of tools and resources available for managing and exploiting this resource (water) sustainably.....the capex costs alone for nuclear power (no matter how cheap you make the opex costs) mean it cannot be the main driver of fresh water production for India.

Right now India has to focus on two main things: rainwater + runoff harvesting + storage....and efficient drip irrigation (along with expanding irrigation in general)...after all one just needs to compare how much water is used in agriculture compared to industries/cities/households etc...its several magnitudes higher so thats where the real management has to be focused towards.

Nuclear powered desalination is a great expertise to have, but India has to fix the basics first and ASAP. Pouring more and more water to address a leaky bath tub is not the long term solution.

 

[Nimitam]

There are much cheaper ways to conserve and collect water than produce it from sea water from nuclear power.

Its a useful hedge and good for filling certain demand/supply gaps for water in India (cities definitely come to mind)...but it cannot be the only policy India can rely on when there is a vast array of tools and resources available for managing and exploiting this resource (water) sustainably.....the capex costs alone for nuclear power (no matter how cheap you make the opex costs) mean it cannot be the main driver of fresh water production for India.

Right now India has to focus on two main things: rainwater + runoff harvesting + storage....and efficient drip irrigation (along with expanding irrigation in general)...after all one just needs to compare how much water is used in agriculture compared to industries/cities/households etc...its several magnitudes higher so thats where the real management has to be focused towards.

Nuclear powered desalination is a great expertise to have, but India has to fix the basics first and ASAP. Pouring more and more water to address a leaky bath tub is not the long term solution.

No doubt, but nuclear power next to the shore offers the advantage of producing both electricity and water.

The Capex is a one time infrastructure development cost. It's like building a railway line or a highway etc. But I do not mean to have it replace traditional water sources and other means of conservation and distribution. IT is just one of the many measures we need to adopt.

Right now India has to increase its green cover. There is no replacement for that. Prevent River water from emptying into the seas and regulate its flow. ... and all that you have mentioned. Do them all.

We need to do all of this in parallel, not in series. But first we need to recognized the need to take action on a war footing.

 

[axisofevil]

You are only stating the obvious. Such factors are taken into account when building a house, or a hospital or a nuclear reactor.

I was talking about the vision of Dhirubhai Ambani. He was a genius and Reliance Industries is a testimony to that.



Power production need not be the primary objective. Production of Drinking water too can be an objective. Even today people are buying water. A Bottle of Bisler sells for Rs. 15 and that is FAR more expensive than electricity.

You can actually make more money selling water than selling electricity.

Like I said.....to have vision is not genius. Reliance industries has nothing to do with being a genius.

 

[Nimitam]

Like I said.....to have vision is not genius. Reliance industries has nothing to do with being a genius.

Dhurubhai Ambani was the Steve Jobs of India. You can hate Reliance, but don't hate the truth.

Men like him do not come along very often. When they do, they create a better world. That is the genius.

 

[axisofevil]

Dhurubhai Ambani was the Steve Jobs of India. You can hate Reliance, but don't hate the truth.

Men like him do not come along very often. When they do, they create a better world. That is the genius.

BS...he didn't create nothing like Steve Jobs. What is does Reliance do? Ask yourself? What did invent when he started it in the first place.