Desalination of ocean water
AssigneeBiomass Conversions, LLC
InventorSeiji HATA
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Abstract
The present invention is an improved type of distillation of water. Usual distillation is related to a liquid's boiling point. However, it is possible to distill significant quantities of water at temperatures well below the boiling point. During distillation a compound is taken from a liquid-phase to the gas phase and then condensed to the liquid again to get a pure liquid. The present invention uses water sprayed and adsorbed onto a solid surface such as micro-powder made from wood as a starting material. Absorbing water onto such a surface results in rapid evaporation with a relatively low temperature gradient when the water and particles are agitated. The present invention could be characterized as solid-phase distillation.
Claims22
A method for accelerating the evaporation of water comprising the steps of making a mixture of water and a quantity of fine particles, the particles having an average diameter of 100 μm or less, and agitating the mixture within a container at a temperature below the boiling point of water whereby water vapor release from the mixture is accelerated.
An apparatus for accelerating evaporation of water comprising a container holding a mixture of water and fine particles at a temperature below the boiling pint of water, wherein the particles have an average diameter of 100 μm or less, and means for agitating the mixture whereby water vapor release from the mixture is accelerated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.