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World's first subsea commercial desalination plant can cut energy use in half
(www.newscientist.com)
this post was submitted on 05 Jan 2026
11 points (100.0% liked)
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I'm no STEM grad, but this doesn't make sense to me. I'm not saying it's wrong or that smarter people haven't overcome my ignorance, I'm just confused. High pressure difference is needed to push water through the membranes. There is high pressure deep in the ocean. OK, but it's the difference in pressures that make the filters work, right? So instead of creating high pressure with a pump, they're creating lower pressure with a pump and letting the ambient high pressure push through? Seems like either way, they have to pump hard enough to create the same pressure differential. As I said at first, I know that I'm lacking in education here, it just doesn't seem right to me.
Perhaps the pressure difference between a column of fresh water and the equivalent height of salty water is enough to tip the scales.
Absolutely would be. Additionally they can use far more efficient ways of pumping liquid (such as bubble pumps). Since they only need to decrease the pressure inside enough to allow for the ambient pressure to force water through the filter.