Can saltwater be desalinated with nanobots?

[AL168]

Here is a challenge,
Can you desalinate saltwater simply by:
1) magnetizing the water (which will change the composition)
2) then using nanobots to separate the compositions.

This will enable inexpensive desalination of salt water, through inexpensive means.
Fresh water is diminishing every day, and we have an abundance of salt water. This means of de-salination will work almost instantly, providing a stream of water continuously without steaming, heating, etc. Has anyone tried it? or is willing to take on the challenge

 

[DrClaude]

Here is a challenge,
Can you desalinate saltwater simply by:
1) magnetizing the water (which will change the composition)
2) then using nanobots to separate the compositions.

I have a better approach: use magic! Then again, this is basically the approach you are proposing

 

[bhusebye]

Saltwater nanobots have not been made yet. They would rust being robots and all. Snicker.

 

[russ_watters]

Saltwater nanobots have not been made yet.

Right. I'm pretty sure if I invented nanobots, I'd find another use for them besides desalination.

 

[rootone]

Can you desalinate saltwater simply by:
1) magnetizing the water (which will change the composition)
2) then using nanobots to separate the compositions.

1 No, water does not have any special magnetic properties, water subjected to a magnetic field does not change composition.
2 Therefore is not feasible, whatever kind of nanobot you are thinking of.

 

[Baluncore]

AL168. Welcome to PF.

Firstly, to desalinate water requires a source of energy. You must buy that energy, or buy something to collect that energy.

1) magnetizing the water (which will change the composition)
The problem is that the NaCl still has an ionic bond and so is neutral when in solution. You would not be able to easily use a magnet to separate the ions from a saline fluid moving through a magnetic field. It takes energy to break that bond and separate the ions.

2) then using nanobots to separate the compositions.[/QUOTE]
If nanobots were used they would need to receive energy to perform the desalination.
It is more probable that a bacteria could be genetically modified to bind sodium in sunlight. Would that be a nanobot?

 

[rootone]

At some point there certainly is fuzziness,
What really is the difference between a calculated chemical reaction, and a mechanical method that produces the same result.

 

[Amoriko Savarias]

Al168,

I agree with you. I recently had the same idea and start browsing to get latest technology of nanobots and wonder if there're already applied this technique to desalinate sea water. Perhaps there already research on this topic.
If there any group who in a research in this field, I am interest to join.

Thanks for Al168 for sharing your idea.

Here is a challenge,
Can you desalinate saltwater simply by:
1) magnetizing the water (which will change the composition)
2) then using nanobots to separate the compositions.

This will enable inexpensive desalination of salt water, through inexpensive means.
Fresh water is diminishing every day, and we have an abundance of salt water. This means of de-salination will work almost instantly, providing a stream of water continuously without steaming, heating, etc.Has anyone tried it? or is willing to take on the challenge

 

[Bystander]

I have a better approach: use magic! Then again, this is basically the approach you are proposing

 

[anorlunda]

It is usually not a good idea to add new posts to year-old threads. The original posters are not likely to see the replies or to remember the thread.

Thread closed.