desalination

Question 1

how much of the world’s population face water shortages

Answer 1

40%

Question 2

how many desalination facilities are there worldwide

Answer 2

20,000 providing water for 300 million people

Question 3

how much water does Saudi Arabia produce

Answer 3

produce one-fifth of the world’s desalinated water due to inadequate freshwater supply

Question 4

what do north Africa and the middle east experience

Answer 4

extreme high water stress

Question 5

what will cause an increased water scarcity

Answer 5

due to population growth may displace hundreds of millions of people by 2050

Question 6

what has climate change caused in terms of rainfall in Australia

Answer 6

has led to more rainfall in northwest Australia, while the southwest is becoming drier

Question 7

what is responsible for this decline in water in the southwest

Answer 7

human activities are responsible for half of the decline

Question 8

what is needed to ensure that the population’s water needs are met

Answer 8

water storage and infrasture

Question 9

where does Perth’s water supply come from

Answer 9

replenished groundwater and the Janakot and Gnangara water mounds

Question 10

what can be said about rainfall runoff into Perth’s dams

Answer 10

their have decreased significantly and is expected to decrease further

Question 11

what is the decline in rainfall in Perth?

Answer 11

perth has experienced a 12% decline in rainfall since 1990, and runoff into dams has fallen by over 50%

Question 12

what is being done to cope with this decline in rainfall

Answer 12

the state government has relied on the use of desalination plants, which produced 45% of perths water supply in 2020-21

Question 13

how does desalination work

Answer 13

the desalination process uses reverse osmosis, which involves pumping seawater through filters that remove salt, bacteria and viruses

around 50% of the water entering a desalination plant becomes fresh drinking water and the remaining salt and impurities are returned to the supply

Question 14

describe the desalination plant in Kwinana

Answer 14

the perth seawater desalination plant in Kwinana, which began operating in 2006, produces 15% of perths water

desalination plants require more energy than collecting water from a gravity-fed source, but the Kwinana plant uses renewable energy from the Emu Downs Wind Farm

the Kwinana plant has received awards for its environmental efforts, including planting native shrubs to stabilize the dune system and prevent erosion

Question 15

why can desalination plants be a concern

Answer 15

the wastewater produced by desalination plants can be a source of environmental concern due to its high concentration of salt and pollutants

Question 16

what is the area of wastewater from desalination plants when it is a concern

Answer 16

the environmental impacts of desalination wastewater is limited to a 100m area surrounding the plant, according to a recent report from the university of new soutb wales

Question 17

what can wastewater result in

Answer 17

the environmental risks from this wastewater can result in a toxic brine that can degrade coastal and Marine ecosystems, or combined with increases in temperature and reduced oxygen levels, can create marine dead zones

Question 18

negatives to desalination

Answer 18

desalination has many environmental positives, but not always the case

the southern seawater desalination plant in Binningup was deemed non-compliant in a 2021 report for not meeting its renewable energy target and releasing 760,000 tonnes of CO2

water corporation allocated $1.4 billion in the state budget for a third desalination plant to provide water for Perth as climate change and population growth affect the water supply

perth residents have experienced a 70% increase in water bills over the past decade to fund and run desalination plants, paying 26% more than necessary

Question 19

what can small-scale desalination plants be used for

Answer 19

to effectively irrigate crops

Question 20

how many desalination plants are their in australia

Answer 20

270 desalination plants for various purposes, including in Rottnest island

Question 21

describe desalination plants in the middle east

Answer 21

morocco opened its largest desalination plant in 2022 for agricultural irrigation

cooperation between countries such as Jordan and Israel is also seen in desalination initiatives

Question 22

why is desalination important

Answer 22

desalination is an adaptation strategy, and sustainable water saving measures and programs are important

Question 23

how much has desalination capacity increased by

Answer 23

desalination plant capacity has increased by 7% annually worldwide as an adaptation to changing rainfall patterns and growing population