Seawater desalination by using salinity - gradient solar pond technologies

Natural sources of fresh water for drinking are limited in the and regions located along a seashore. The typical seawater has a salinity of about 35 x 10(3) p.p.m Of which 30 x 10(3) p.p.m is NaCl. The accepted quality standards for drinking water are 5 x 10(2) p.p.m of (T.D.S) and 2 x 10(2) p.p.m of NaCl. The energy needed for desalination processes in and regions can be obtained from the Sun by using the salinity-gradient solar pond technology. The cost of developing this technology in the and regions and developed countries located in the Middle East and North Africa, where solar energy and abundant salty water are avaiable, is usually much lower compared to that in advanced countries. In this paper, an attempt is made to study and analyse the course of technology advancement in solar ponds. This paper summarizes the efforts wanted on solar pond development in Libya. This paper outlines the various technical problems that have to be solved during the construction and operation period of the solar pond and gives suggestions for a future course of development.