China’s desalination system may ‘tip the balance’ in South China Sea land disputes, scientists say
Research team says compact new device only needs low levels of heat and energy, making it suitable for use on remote islands and reclaimed land masses
China has made a breakthrough in desalination technology that could help it produce fresh water on remote islands and also quickly expand habitable areas on reclaimed land or natural islets in the South China Sea, where it is engaged in territorial disputes with several of its Asian neighbours.
Moreover, the country often faces droughts in its arid north and has been looking at ways of getting more fresh or potable water to dry provinces and municipalities. According to a report by Bloomberg in April of last year, the Chinese government has been planning to quadruple desalination by 2020.
As such, the recent test run of a new desalination system that can remove salt and other harmful elements from seawater using heat produced by a diesel generator may come as music to the ears of Chinese authorities.
The system is currently in operation on Guishan Island off the coast of Zhuhai city in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong.
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The tests were carried out by a researcher at the Guangzhou Institute of Advanced Technology in Guangdong, and the heat drawn from the generator would otherwise have been considered a waste product, according to an announcement on the institute’s website.