current events in science

Water Crisis in Flint: Sea Water Can be A Solution

The water Crisis in Flint, Michigan trigger some scientists tor each and processing sea water is one of the current events in science that can solve water crisis not only in Michigan, but also global water needs. There two things we should clear know, the water crisis in Flint and the sea water project.

• The water in Flint

The current situation in Flint, Michigan, makes people worry about the water quality. In fact, more people have started buying bottled mineral water in 2013. The water in Flint is claimed to be polluted and there is e.coli bacteria that triggers some health issue. It of course makes people spending a lot of money on bottled water. Most people in Flint, Michigan buy water from Detroit that is now claimed to have similar quality with the water in Flint. The official government, especially the water authority, starts a project to bring water from Lake Huron as the new solution.

However, until April 2014 the citizens found that the new water is just in the same quality with the polluted water. The e.coli bacteria is detected. Some company even refused to use the water for it can rust the machine. Until this day, the solution which is offered by the government is to provide water filter to clean the water and suggest people to boil the water. Indeed, boiling the water is one of the easiest way to kill e.coli while waiting for the current events in science that helps providing clean water. 

• Sea water as the solution

The fact that 97% of the Earth is the oceans trigger scientist to make some invention that is able to process sea water to be drinkable. The only problem is ocean water or salt water contains a lot of mineral that is dissolved. Some purifying method is still costly and difficult to conduct.

Now, Martin Bazant and his team come with a new solution. Supported by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this chemical engineering invents a method to separate fresh water from the salt and dissolved mineral. They invent such kind of water filter with porous material with tiny holes. This filter is made of glass particles and tiny bids that is able to separate the positive and negative electrode. This system is able to separate the mineral especially the NaCl salt which is dissolved in sea water to produce drinkable water. The project is still in progress and be part of the current events in science that will help people getting fresh water.