Desalination is growing so fast that the extra salty waste water it produces is becoming a major threat, says an article published in NewScientist.com.
How many desalination plants are there?
There are now 16,000 desalination plants worldwide. A study by Edward Jones of the United Nations University and his colleagues say they end up creating 142 million cubic metres of brine a day.
Over a year, that is enough to cover Florida to a depth of 30 centimetres. Most of this brine ends up in the sea.
What could brine do?
Callum Roberts at the University of York, UK says that in calm conditions, the dense brine can spread out over the sea floor and kill organisms by increasing salinity beyond what they can tolerate.
The brine is also contaminated with toxic chemicals used to stop sea life clogging pipelines.
Desalination is expected to continue growing rapidly as the technology improves and demand for freshwater soars.
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Source: Newscientist
