Which process is typically used to remove salt from seawater?

The removal of salt from seawater is commonly achieved through reverse osmosis, a process that utilizes a semi-permeable membrane to separate salt and other impurities from water molecules. In reverse osmosis, seawater is pressurized, forcing water through the membrane, while leaving salts and contaminants behind. This method is highly effective for desalination because it can produce potable water from saline sources with a relatively low energy input compared to other processes.

Comparatively, while distillation involves boiling seawater and condensing the vapor back into liquid to leave the salts behind, it generally requires more energy and is less efficient for large-scale desalination. Filtration often deals with particulate matter rather than dissolved salts, making it unsuitable for desalination purposes. Evaporation, on the other hand, can also lead to salt removal, but it is a slower and less controlled method that typically isn’t practical for producing drinking water at scale compared to reverse osmosis. Therefore, reverse osmosis stands out as the most effective and widely used method for desalinization in modern water treatment systems.