New method turns ocean water into drinking water, without waste

Photo: Water, Transformed: Vials of seawater, Great Salt Lake water, nickel sulfate, copper chloride wastewater, and desalinated water, along with recovered salts show how a new approach developed by URochester researchers turns natural and industrial waters into fresh water and reusable minerals. Photo credit: J. Adam Fenster / University of Rochester. Press release by Luke Auburn. University of Rochester – May 27, 2026. Research article: Light: Science & Applications.

The United Nations estimates that 2.2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water, and communities from California to the Middle East rely on desalination plants to convert ocean water to fresh water. Common desalination techniques, such as reverse osmosis and thermal distillation, are energy-intensive, require pre- and post-water treatment, and leave behind a concentrated saltwater byproduct called brine. The brine byproduct wreaks havoc on sea life when it’s deposited back into the ocean by raising the salt level and lowering oxygen in the water. […]

Click here to view original web page at www.rochester.edu

Video: Sustainably Creating Fresh Water from the Ocean – University of Rochester