Gearing Up for a Resilient Future: Seawater Desalination 101

Welcome to season three of Come Heck or Hot Water (formerly Fahrenheit 140)! As changes in climate put strains on our natural resources, we’ve decided to take a deep dive into one possible solution for resilience and long-term sustainability. Join our hosts, Robert and Carrie, for an overview of seawater desalination. In this episode, Dr. Robert E. Mace explains the ins and outs of this agent of resilience.

Got a question for Robert and Carrie? Submit it here!

First up, we have a big announcement:  

• New name, slightly different format, same great content (00:29)

• Season 3 Overview (03:28)

Today’s Guest: Dr. Robert E. Mace

• Carrie Thompson re-introduces Dr. Robert E. Mace (04:35)

Today’s Keywords: (06:37)

• Desalination: The process of removing “stuff” dissolved in water.

• Brine Concentrate: The salty waste byproduct of desalination.

• Brackish Groundwater: Water in aquifers that is not fresh.

• PFAS: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance, aka “forever chemicals”

• Freshwater: Generally defined as water with less than 1,000 parts per million of “stuff” dissolved in it.

Today’s Pop Quiz:

Where can our listeners submit a question to the podcast?

• A) the link at the bottom of the e-newsletter

• B) the link in our show notes

• C) email us directly at meadowscenter@txstate.edu

• D) All of the above

Dr. Robert Mace takes us inside seawater desalination:

• The State of Freshwater: Dig into the factors impacting freshwater resources around the globe. (11:13)

• Resilience and Reliability: We need to find “a lot more water,” so where can we find it? (14:46)

• De-STUFF-ication: The history, process, and methods of seawater desalination. (16:53)

• What’s the whine about the brine? Explore the issues around the waste byproduct of the desalination process at home and at scale. (19:33)

• Powering the Process: The energy and economic realities of seawater desalination. (24:12)

• Who gets the water? If there’s no or low water...does it go to people or the environment? (27:43)

And... DON’T MISS OUT!

• Next Episode: Join Robert and Carrie for a discussion with IDE Technologies about desalination efforts underway in Israel and Texas. (30:24)

Episode Links and Resources:

• Texas Desalination Association

• Submit a question to the pod!

Theme song: Come Heck or Hot Water by Robert E. Mace

We want to thank pixabay.com for providing the sound effects.

For more information about the Meadows Center, visit ⁠meadowscenter.txst.edu⁠.