How does a desalination plant remove salt from seawater?
Margaret, WA Kwinana is home to Australias newest desalination plant which produces about 17% of Perths drinking water. Murray Johnsen is the manager of water production at the desalination plant and is Petes guide to the desalination process. The key to desalination is very high pressure. Murray explains that the desalination process is a series of graduated screens or filters. It is a staged process that ensures everything is taken out of the seawater. The process starts by the pipeline bringing in the water from the sea and into the plant. The water is then screened and put through filters the filters contain sand and anthracite and take out any small particles out of the saltwater. This is filtered again in the building before it goes through the membranes where the reverse osmosis process takes place. The reverse osmosis process separates the salt from seawater producing the freshwater we drink. High salt content water is forced under very high pressure through the membranes and i
