How to Desalinate Water at Home

Ocean water must be desalinated before drinking it.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ocean water covers 71 percent of the earth's surface and accounts for 97 percent of the planet's water. Humans cannot safely consume saline water without first removing the salt from it. The process of removing salt from saline water is called "desalination." According to the U.S. Geological Survey, when performed on mass quantities, desalination is very expensive. You can, however, desalinate water from home with a few simple tools to make saline water safe for consumption.

Things You'll Need

• Clear plastic wrap
• One small marble
• Large glass bowl
• Small glass cup
• Saline water

Instructions

1. Place a small glass cup into the middle of a large glass bowl.

2. Fill the large glass bowl with saline water, stopping approximately one inch from the top of the cup.

3. Place clear plastic wrap over the bowl containing the saline water and the glass cup. Allow a small amount of slack in the plastic wrap.

4. Place the bowl of saline water outside in the area that receives the most sunlight.

5. Set a marble on the clear plastic wrap, directly over the empty small glass cup. This will cause condensation that collects on the plastic wrap to drain down into the plastic cup.

6. Allow the bowl of water to sit outside in the sun for an entire day. At the end of the day, collect the bowl and remove the plastic wrap. The water that has collected in the cup is desalinated and safe for consumption.

Tips & Warnings

• This desalination process works because salt cannot evaporate with the water that collects on the plastic wrap. All of the salt from the water will be left in the large bowl.

References

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Ocean
• U.S. Geological Survey: Desalination
• "Janice VanCleave's A+ Science Fair Projects"; Janice Pratt VanCleave; 2003