A groundbreaking development from China promises to reshape the world’s energy and water supply chains. A new plant in Rizhao, Shandong, has demonstrated the ability to transform seawater into both clean fuel and pure drinking water for an incredibly low cost of Rs 24 per cubic metre. This technological leap has stunned international energy markets and experts alike.
At the heart of this innovation is a single machine capable of producing two essential resources: ultra-pure drinking water and green hydrogen. The process ingeniously uses only seawater and the waste heat generated by nearby steel and petrochemical plants, offering a sustainable and economical solution for global resource needs.
This facility is the first of its kind worldwide, operating on seawater and industrial waste heat. Engineers have cleverly redirected surplus energy to drive a system that extracts fresh water and generates clean hydrogen from the ocean. The design’s efficiency is amplified by its ‘one input, three outputs’ approach, maximizing resource conversion.
The system begins with a single input: seawater mixed with waste heat. From this combination, three valuable outputs are generated. The plant produces 450 cubic metres of drinking-quality water annually, processed from 800 tonnes of seawater, addressing critical water scarcity issues. It also generates an impressive 192,000 cubic metres of green hydrogen per year, a highly sought-after clean energy source. Additionally, the process yields 350 tonnes of mineral-rich brine, a commercially valuable material for producing marine chemicals, highlighting the system’s comprehensive resourcefulness.