[LUM#2] The sea to drink
Transforming seawater into drinking water using an ecological and economical process is the challenge taken up by researchers and students from Polytech and Montpellier Engineering.
Access to drinking water is a major issue for millions of the planet's inhabitants. And global warming is not helping matters: according to UN experts, the planet will face a global water deficit of 40% by 2030. Yet water covers 70% of the Earth's surface... in the form of seas and oceans. Imbuvable? Perhaps not. " Since the 1950s, we've known how to transform salt water into fresh water using intensive desalination processes ", explains Marc Héran, a teacher at Polytech and researcher at the European Membrane InstituteIEM. The problem: desalination plants consume an enormous amount of energy. "From an ecological point of view, it's not viable to use energy that comes mainly from oil .
Choosing solar energy
The solution? A desalination unit powered by solar energy. Called Dunetec, this innovative technology has been developed by Polytech researchers and students in conjunction with Montpellier Engineering. " Using solar energy, seawater is heated to evaporate and then condensed. The result is fresh water ," explains Jean Pierre Mericq, a researcher at theIEM and teacher at Polytech. A simple principle but a real technological challenge, " we had to optimize the evaporation process to obtain the maximum amount of fresh water using the minimum amount of energy and taking up the least space possible ", explains André Chrysochoos from the Mechanics and Civil Engineering Laboratory, also a teacher at Polytech.
A dozen students from various branches of the engineering school contributed to the challenge. " It's a cross-disciplinary project that requires skills not only in the field of water, but also in modelling, electronics and information processing ", say the teachers. The result is a prototype that is currently being tested in Port-la-Nouvelle.
Local solutions for global shortages
The next step is to offer this technology to regions with high levels of sunshine and access to the sea. The initial target areas: southern Spain and the Greek islands. " One desalination unit should be able to meet the drinking water needs of a village of 200 people," explains Laurent Trémel, President of Montpellier Engineering, who highlights one of Dunetec's advantages: ease of use. " Maintenance and upkeep can be carried out autonomously by the local population.
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