What is water desalination?

Water desalination is a process of removing salt and other minerals from sea water or brackish water to make it suitable for drinking or irrigation. This process is commonly used in regions with limited access to fresh water sources, such as coastal areas in New York. Desalination facilities take in large volumes of water and use a variety of mechanical processes and chemical treatments to separate the salt and other minerals from the water. The traditional approach to desalination is distillation, where the water is heated to boiling point so that the steam can be condensed and the salt particles are left behind. Another technology used for desalination is reverse osmosis, where pressurized water is forced through a membrane that blocks the salt particles from passing through. Desalination can be expensive and use a lot of energy, but it provides a reliable source of fresh water in areas where other water sources are limited. In the New York state, the Department of Environmental Conservation has encouraged research into water desalination as a way to help with water scarcity. Desalination has been used to produce water for municipal drinking water and other uses throughout the state, but remains an expensive option.

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What is water desalination?

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