Comment on Japan Just Switched on Asia’s First Osmotic Power Plant, Which Runs 24/7 on Nothing But Fresh Water and Seawater

nulluser@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

I think the article author is completely confused and doesn’t understand what’s happening. Their are hints of what’s happening in this paragraph.

Fresh water—or treated wastewater—is placed on one side of a membrane. On the other side is seawater, made even saltier by concentrating leftover brine from a desalination process. The difference in saltiness pulls the fresh water across the membrane, increasing the pressure on the saltwater side. That pressure is then used to drive a turbine, generating electricity.

I don’t think any fresh water is being used. I think what’s actually happening is…

Very salty wastewater (from the desalinization plant) is placed on one side of a membrane. On the other side is seawater. The difference in saltiness pulls the wastewater across the membrane, increasing the pressure on the saltwater side. That pressure is then used to drive a turbine, generating electricity. The waste then is just water that’s saltier than sea water, but less salty than what came from the desalinization plant.

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