Can ocean water be filtered? The answer to this question is yes, but it’s not that simple. There are some important things to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to filter water before drinking it. First of all, you shouldn’t drink unfiltered water. Water from the ocean contains dissolved salt. It may be safe to drink, but if you’re worried about the health risks, consider buying bottled water instead.
While some methods rely on filtration of seawater, many aren’t completely efficient. Reverse osmosis, for example, is a method of removing salt and other contaminants from seawater. It’s a method that is widely used in countries like Israel and Saudi Arabia, where freshwater is not available. The seawater is pumped to a filtering facility, where it passes through a hollow framework of pores. The membrane is then treated with light, removing the impurities. The result is a clean, salt-free liquid, 139.5 litres per kilogram.
While reverse osmosis works well in large desalination plants, it’s not practical for many poor areas, such as deep inside continents, or places at high elevations. The problem with this method is that the water needs to be lifted over thousands of meters and transported over 1600 km to reach the poorest areas. Unlike the sea, these places also have water issues. And since seawater is so high in salinity, it is impossible to desalinate it in a portable way.
