The diagram shows the process of removing salt from seawater in order to produce drinking water.
Overall, the process consists of several stages beginning with the intake of seawater and ending with the storage and distribution of treated water. The main method used to remove salt is a high-pressure membrane filtration system while waste materials are returned to the sea.
First, seawater is taken into the system and passed through a pre-treatment filter. At this stage impurities are removed from the water. The filter is periodically backwashed, and the resulting waste is discharged back into the sea.
Next the pre-treated seawater is forced through a membrane under high pressure. This is the key stage of the process. The membrane allows water molecules to pass through while preventing salt and other impurities from passing through. As a result, two streams are produced: treated water and concentrated seawater. The concentrated seawater is returned to the sea.
After passing through the membrane the treated water undergoes post-treatment during which lime, chlorine and fluoride are added. Finally, the processed water is stored in a storage facility before being supplied to the integrated water supply system for consumption.