Desalination
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Desalinisation refers to any of several processes that remove excess salt and other minerals from water. More generally, desalination may also refer to the removal of salts and minerals. Water is desalinated in order to be converted to fresh water suitable for human consumption or irrigation. Sometimes the process produces table salt as a by-product. It is used on many seagoing ships and submarines. Most of the modern interest in desalination is focused on developing cost-effective ways of providing fresh water for human use in regions where the availability of fresh water is limited. |
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EMF became interested in desalination when it discovered in 1995 that an economically and ecologically sound technology was patented that would be superior to conventional technologies that were expensive and fossil fuel intensive. Futher investigations, in cooperation with the Dutch Applied Research Institute TNO, led to a new concept wich was the beginning of a substantial and long term project at TNO with support from the Dutch Government, a number of industrial companies and Twente Technical University. EMF participated in the project and acted as project coordinator. |
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| In 2007 the development phase of Memstill was finalized and the next phase for manufacturing and marketing was taken over by two Memstill partners and EMF'role was fimished. Around that same time another breakthrough desalination technology by Voltea (Unilever Ventures) presented itself and EMF became involved in its development through a position on the board of Voltea. In the last few years EMF became interested in small scale stand alone applications of desalinating of sea- and brackish water in poor rural areas and on small islands. |
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