Properties of Seawater - Essay Sample

Introduction

Sea water is very different from fresh water. Seawater has an average salinity of approximately 35 psu. Various substances are found in, and they include organic substance, biogenic substance, trace elements, and dissolved gas. Gases include carbon dioxide, oxygen, hydrogen sulphide, and argon. According to Ghaffour, Missimer, and Amy (2013) majority of chemically derived gas in seawater are carbon dioxide and oxygen. Biogenic substances include phosphorus, silicon, and nitrogen. Trace elements are about 0.01 percent though they have no impact on the physical attributes of sea water. Majority of the concentrations are found on the top surface of the sea. Trace elements include Iodine, Lithium, Zinc, Iron, and Barium, among others. Primary ions include Strontium, potassium, Magnesium, Sodium, and Calcium. Physical properties of seawater include high density, high thermal ability, and high density, low conductivity of heat, and a good conductor of electricity. Other physical features include god sound conductivity. The properties depend on pressure, salinity, and temperature.

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Conversation of Sea Water to Drinkable Water

Solar Power Technology. Due to the above properties, sea water is not fit for human consumption. Thus there are different methods of converting sea water to drinking water fit for human consumption. The most common method is converting sea water by the use of solar power technology. Pioneered in the United States, this method harnesses solar panels that charge various batteries powering electrodialysis that have the technique of removing salt particles from the water (Ghaffour et al., 2013). In this method, water is passed between oppositely charged electrodes. Since seawater is comprised of negative and positive ions, the electrodes attract the ions from the water with the water left to flow that the center. Various membranes in the machine separate the salty ones from the stream of fresh water.

Solar Energy Technology. Another technique of converting sea water to drinkable water is by the use of solar energy that was inspired by how plants transport water to its leaves from the roots by way of transpiration and capillarity (Ghaffour et al., 2013). It is called desalination technology in which a floating device is used to obtain seawater by the use of a porous "cloth." The technique avoids the use of expensive pumps. The water collected is after that heated up. By use of a membrane, salt is separated from the stream originating from the heated pool. A membrane is used to separate the clean drinking water and the salty contaminated water to avoid any mixing. The device is cheap as compared to other converting devices that harness a lot of power and use various technologies. The technology can clean up to 20 liters daily. The technology has widely been harnessed in the Polytechnic University of Turin in Italy.

Benefits and Potential Hazards

With the dwindling amount of clean drinkable water, conversion of seawater to clean drinkable water will help regions that more sea water than fresh water access drinking water. According to Ghaffour et al., (2013), the technologies will also offer scientists the opportunity to market and sell their technology, thus raising more funds to further research on it. It will be a good source of income to the institutions taking part in its utilization, and at the same time, it will help make use of the large water masses. However, the conversion has its downside that includes the high cost of operation and building the desalination plants. On the lower end, building a desalination plant requires approximately $300 million to $3 billion (Ghaffour et al., (2013). Change in energy pricing may also hinder the development and maintenance of a desalination plant.

Reference

Ghaffour, N., Missimer, T. M., & Amy, G. L. (2013). Technical review and evaluation of the economics of water desalination: current and future challenges for better water supply sustainability. Desalination, 309, 197-207. https://repository.kaust.edu.sa/bitstream/handle/10754/562573/Economics+of+water+desalination+paper+Desalination.pdf?sequence=1