Solar desalination system produces fresh water without toxic brine

Scientists at the University of Rochester have developed a solar desalination system that turns seawater into drinking water without creating environmentally damaging brine. Special laser-textured metal panels use sunlight to evaporate water while automatically moving salt deposits away from the working surface, preventing clogging. The process was successfully tested with water from three oceans and can recover nearly all salts as solids. Those leftover materials could become a source of valuable lithium for batteries. Traditional desalination methods generate large volumes of concentrated saltwater known as brine that can damage marine ecosystems. The new approach produces fresh water efficiently, operates without chemical pretreatment, and avoids brine waste. The research was led by Chunlei Guo and described in the journal Light: Science & Applications.