Society
Sea ice 'can be freshwater source': scientist
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-07 07:42
 |
Large Medium Small |
Chinese scientists are eyeing sea ice, which has proved a disaster in Northeast China's Bohai Bay, as an important alternative freshwater source after their latest research showed the country's desalination technology is feasible for mass production.
"The salinity of desalinated sea ice can reach 150 mg/L, when 5 tons of sea ice is treated per hour through our lab equipment. The result is on par with salt levels in many of China's rivers," said Chen Weibin, one of the researchers of the sea ice desalination program based in Dalian city, Liaoning province.
"The salinity of the sea water in the Bohai Bay is 3,200 mg/L. However, when the water is frozen, the rate drops to 600-800 mg/L. Our equipment can further reduce the salinity," said Gu Wei, a professor with Beijing Normal University, who is involved in the research.
If commercially adopted, the technology is expected to help quench the thirst of North China, where per capita availability of fresh water is only between 100 and 300 cubic meters annually, compared with 500 cubic meters - a United Nations criteria for water scarcity, Gu added.
