Desalinating Seawater With Solar and No Brine

A solar-thermal desalination system using special panels wicks seawater and distills it with 74% solar-to-vapor efficiency. Salt and contaminants slough off the panels instead of forming brine. The method achieves nearly 100% salt extraction and recovers lithium, gold, uranium and other elements. The cells require no pre-treatment and avoid brine discharge. The technology was tested on ocean water from multiple sources.