"Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink" said the poet Coleridge in his epic The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. This is especially true in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The people on the outer islands of Yap State in the tiny South Pacific country of Micronesia know the scarcity and importance of clean drinking water.
It was with much joy that I was able to share with them a new discovery that might turn the tide of thirst in these remote island nations that depend on rainfall and bottled water (super expensive to ship to these remote islands!) for 100% of their freshwater.
The traditional method for turning salt water to fresh involves boiling off steam which is then cooled and collected. It's a laborious method that takes a lot of energy (firewood is also scarce!). A higher tech option involves forcing water through a membrane but is even more energy intensive!
New research from Rice University has created a desalination technology that requires only solar energy. Nestled close to the equator these islands are flooded with sunshine and some of the more populated islands have solar power facilities already in place!
The researchers from Rice University recently published their work in a publication of the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1701835114. They call it "nanophotonics-enabled solar membrane distillation, or NESMD for short.
Their technique uses nanotechnology that can turn sunlight into heat energy and combines this with the high tech, membrane distillation. Carbon nanoparticles allow the harvesting of up to 80% of sunlight resulting in more effective water evaporation and a system that requires much less power!
The system is modular and can be moved to remote regions with no existing infastructure, which makes this an exciting possibility for the families on these remote islands. Water scarcity is common, with increasingly violent storms and extended periods without rain thanks to a changing climate and the breakdown of traditional weather patterns.
“Direct solar desalination could be a game changer for some of the estimated 1 billion people who lack access to clean drinking water,” says Qilin Li, one of the researchers from the project. http://news.rice.edu/2017/06/19/freshwater-from-salt-water-using-only-solar-energy-2/
For my friends and loved ones on these tiny islands this breakthrough is a ray of hope. I'll be working hard in the next year to get the system sent to these communities.
Special Thanks to our Expedition Photographer, Scott Davis, for his stunning images of the Micronesian Outer Islands. Check out Scott's other work at: https://www.scottdavisimages.com/ and our recent expedition reports at http://ulithimarineconservation.ucsc.edu
Learn more about the study here: http://news.rice.edu/2017/06/19/freshwater-from-salt-water-using-only-solar-energy-2/
Together we are one people on one reef!
Renee
Project Manager
One People One Reef
onepeopleonereef.ucsc.edu
https://www.facebook.com/onepeopleonereef/