Chemistry Topic Practice

Desalination: Distillation and Reverse Osmosis | GCSE

Desalination is the process of removing salt from sea water to make it potable.

What is a major disadvantage of using desalination to get fresh water?

What is Desalination: Distillation and Reverse Osmosis | GCSE?

"The process of removing salts and other minerals from saline water."

Question 1

What is potable water?

Question 2

Where do the potassium salts for NPK fertilisers come from?

Question 3

Which catalyst is used in the Haber Process?

Question 4

What is the very FIRST stage typically considered in a Life Cycle Assessment?

Salt Removal

Distillation: Boiling water and condensing the steam to leave salt behind.

Reverse Osmosis: Forcing sea water through a membrane at high pressure.

Both processes require a lot of energy and are expensive.

Necessary in countries where fresh water is scarce.

Exam Tip

Energy Tip: Because desalination is so power-hungry, it is often only used when fresh water sources aren't available.

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