Seawater desalination is the process by which salt and other minerals are removed from seawater, converting it into potable water or water suitable for use in various applications. This process is carried out to obtain fresh water in areas where water supply is scarce or of poor quality. There are several methods used for seawater desalination, but the two most common are: a. Distillation: This method involves heating seawater to convert it to steam, and then condensing that steam to obtain salt-free water. The main distillation processes used are multiple effect distillation and flash distillation.
b. Reverse osmosis: In this process, seawater is forced through a semi-permeable membrane, which retains ions and salt molecules, allowing only purified water to pass through to the other side. The pressure applied to overcome natural osmosis is called reverse osmotic pressure.