tent for Water Desalination Process
island communities that cannot afford costly infrastructure or high energy costs . According to the World Research Institute , one-third of the world ’ s population lives in regions where the water supply is under high stress .
The teenager ’ s method uses a solvent extraction process of a type that is common in industry . The novelty is that , in the presence of water , the solvent behaves differently at different temperatures . This property is exploited to cause the solvent first to enclose freshwater and exclude salts and then ( after heating ) to release the freshwater for use .
It ’ s long been Deven ’ s dream to create a business venture from his ideas . He is an entrepreneur at heart having started a summer boat cleaning business in Margate in his early teens . His entrepreneurial inclinations are also guided by a zeal for social good which is shared by his family . The benefits struggling communities could derive from his desalination process are spurring him on .
In his college studies , Deven plans to minor in entrepreneurship and major in chemical engineering . For the next few months , he will be busy with the college application process . But he still plans to follow through on his invention . First , he must determine how to scale out his method and distribute it . He might also consider seeking investors .
His No . 1 choice for college is University of Pennsylvania . While he is waiting to hear , Deven is still considering business options . He might pursue the invisible fishing line he invented with his father at age 12 . The line is coated with a compound that attracts water molecules , rendering it indistinguishable from the water around it . An avid ocean fisherman , Deven hit on the concept to attract tuna , which are easily spooked .
Water continues to inspire him . Another notion he is now pursuing is creating building materials from water . These “ water bricks ” would be made from water trapped in a polymer matrix .
He has experimented with the polymerization of magnesium acrylate but has not perfected it yet . Deven imagines his water bricks being used on the shore to protect against the threat of hurricanes . It could create a wall in a short time . “ It ’ s not entirely rigid and structurally sound yet . But I will continue to test it this year ,” the young inventor said .
Interesting Facts about Desalination :
◾ It takes about two gallons of seawater to make one gallon of freshwater
◾ Desalination plants around the world consume more than 200 million kilowatt hours of energy a day .
◾ Some 80 percent of domestic water use in Israeli cities comes from desalinated water . uring the summer . Here he is with Mike Brady , the activities coordinator , and Amanda Molinaro ,
◾ The top three desalination countries are Saudi Arabia with 17 percent of the global output , United Arab Emirates with 13.4 percent and the United States with 13 percent .
January 2023 COMMERCE 13