From brackish to fresh water: Cebu City bares ‘cost-efficient’ desalinator
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — Cebu City has introduced a desalination machine that extracts fresh water from brackish water as a way to maximize local resources and support operations at its new waste processing facility, the Ecostation.
The city unveiled the machine during the formal opening of the Ecostation at the South Road Properties (SRP) on Saturday, June 6.
During the event, Mayor Nestor Archival demonstrated the use of an “ionization reactor chamber,” which draws water from a nearby wetland through a well connected to the machine by tubes.
The machine removes salt and other impurities from the brackish water, allowing fresh water to flow through a tap for use inside the facility, especially for its agricultural activities.
“Magamit ni nato [ang tubig] para sa pampabubo sa tanom, paglimpyo sa sakyanan ug kasilyas. Kung gusto nato imnon, butngan nato ni og filter,” Archival said.
(“We can use the fresh water for watering plants and cleaning vehicles and toilets. If we want to drink it, we just need to add a filter.”)
READ: Cebu City’s ‘Ecostation’ may cut landfill-bound waste by 15 tons daily
Desalination process
Desalination is the process of turning salty or brackish water into fresh water that can be used for daily needs.
Archival said the city first explored using reverse osmosis technology, which cleans water by pushing it through a special filter that blocks salt, dirt, and other impurities.
READ: El Niño: Water desalination in Cebu City to boost MCWD’s supply
The mayor, however, said the reverse osmosis option was too expensive for Cebu City as it continues to shoulder rising garbage hauling and disposal costs after the January collapse of the Binaliw landfill.
Instead, the city opted for the ionization reactor chamber, which Archival described as a more cost-efficient alternative based on some desalination studies.
Inside the chamber, electricity helps to separate the salt and impurities from the water before the clean water is collected.
Archival said the city also plans to install a water tank and solar-powered pump to collect more fresh water for irrigation systems at the Ecostation’s farms.
Ecostation operations
The Ecostation houses several waste processing machines, including plastic shredders and a shredder-compost machine intended to reduce the amount of garbage sent to landfills.
The facility also contains a composting area and a breeding farm for black soldier flies, which officials said can help process biodegradable waste while producing fertilizer and animal feed.
READ: Desalination in Cebu: What you need to know about this growing source of drinking water
Archival said the facility forms part of the city’s response to increasing waste management expenses as Cebu City generates around 700 tons of garbage daily.
“This is one way to divert the waste heading to the landfills. We also use the waste as a resource: feeds for the chickens, fertilizer for the food supply,” Archival said.
READ: Cebu City: Black soldier fly farming eyed to cut landfill waste
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