This deep dive covers Desalination Processes (HT) within Water Treatment for GCSE Chemistry. Revise Water Treatment in Using Resources for GCSE Chemistry with 20 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 5 of 13 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 5 of 13
Practice
20 questions
Recall
15 flashcards
🌊 Desalination Processes (HT)
🧂 Making Seawater Drinkable
Desalination removes salt from seawater to provide fresh water in water-scarce regions.
🔥 Distillation Method
- Process: Heat seawater → steam → condense → pure water
- Advantages: Removes all salts and contaminants
- Disadvantages: High energy costs, expensive
- Use: Middle East oil-rich countries
💧 Reverse Osmosis
- Process: Force water through semi-permeable membrane
- Advantages: Lower energy than distillation
- Disadvantages: Membranes need replacement
- Use: Most modern desalination plants
Environmental concerns: Brine (concentrated salt water) disposal can harm marine ecosystems. High energy use contributes to carbon emissions.