Thirsty? How ’bout a cool, refreshing cup of seawater?

No, don’t take us literally! Humans cannot drink saline water. But, saline water can be made into freshwater, which everyone needs everyday. The process is called desalination. In some areas, salt water (from the ocean, for instance) is being turned into freshwater for drinking.

A promising method to desalinate seawater is the “reverse osmosis” method. Reverse osmosis is most commonly known for its use in drinking water purification from seawater, removing the salt and other substances from the water molecules. This is the reverse of the normal osmosis process, in which the solvent naturally moves from an area of low solute concentration, through a membrane, to an area of high solute concentration.