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Kevin Street
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Comments by "Kevin Street" (@Kevin_Street) on "2 Breakthroughs That Could Solve the Fresh Water Crisis" video.
Thanks for the great new video! I really like these videos that return to previously discussed technologies to see how they're progressing or examine them more deeply. They're both really interesting, but the ICP process seems to me to still be at a level where it needs more development. It is a very cool engineering based solution, though. Of the two, the gel film seems the most revolutionary right now. By harvesting water vapor from the air you're getting the sun to do the more energy intensive desalination part as it evaporates seawater. That way the salt stays in the ocean and you don't have to worry about by-products. Also water vapor is everywhere, so this gel could be used to harvest drinking water anyplace on Earth. It may seem counter-intuitive, but I think it might be best used in coastal areas and on islands, because the water vapor is constant there and immediately recharged by the sun. But it could find mass adoption anywhere fresh water is needed, including countries like Bangladesh where the water supply tends to be contaminated. The big question (imo) is if this gel technology can be upsized to industrial scale. I know the inventors have intended it to be a small scale, single person or household solution - but the low energy requirement suggests that it could be a real competitor to industrial desalination plants.
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