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Photo credits: Science Development Network
Copyright: Carolyn Drake/Panos
Bubble desalination is the latest effort to boost crop growth
“We believe this concept is applicable to drylands around the world.” Mario Schmack, Murdoch University
By Ian Randall
- Low-tech ‘bubble greenhouse’ turns salt water into fresh water
- They also create a cool, moist environment that promotes growth
- Researchers are looking for partners to build prototypes
Australian researchers are looking to build a prototype “bubble greenhouse” to provide a low-tech, low-maintenance way to convert saltwater into freshwater in remote arid regions. water Growing food.
Engineers at Murdoch University Published their research Last month in the magazine DesalinationIt is estimated that a 150 square meter bubble greenhouse can produce about 8 cubic meters of fresh water and up to 30 kilograms of crops per day. The sealed structure protects the crops from insects and diseases, while technology They say it should be relatively simple to implement and use in remote areas.
The bubble greenhouse concept develops the existing seawater greenhouse concept, using the evaporation and condensation of salt water to produce fresh water for irrigation and create a cool, humid environment In a greenhouse, this means that crops need less water to grow.
The new method moves the evaporation and condensation processes outside the greenhouse. Within two water-filled “bubble columns,” streams of thousands of tiny bubbles form a large surface for water to evaporate or condense. The unique properties of seawater prevent small bubbles from aggregating to form larger bubbles, thus maintaining a large surface area.
Read the full article: Science Development Network
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