Isa's Homestead Happenings and Hangout

[ShrekDawg]

@ShrekDawg how's your ankle

Somewhat better but still hurts. I go to the orthopedic doctor tomorrow.

 

[tripletfeb]

Ever walk on the beach barefoot in the summer? That sand is about 4 degrees away from spontaneous combustion.

Not the sand at Siesta Beach in Florida. It's white quartz and does not reflect the sun. Very strange to walk on

 

[azurbanclucker]

Our

Not the sand at Siesta Beach in Florida. It's white quartz and does not reflect the sun. Very strange to walk on

Our sand burns. I mean, "300 miles from water, 30 feet from hell".

No wonder the plants all catch on fire.

 

[tripletfeb]

Our

Our sand burns. I mean, "300 miles from water, 30 feet from hell".

No wonder the plants all catch on fire.

Lake Erie sand burns too. Could be from the cig butts in the sand though

 

[KayisforKale]

Our

Our sand burns. I mean, "300 miles from water, 30 feet from hell".

No wonder the plants all catch on fire.

You know... If the world is worried about ocean levels rising, is there not a way to de-salinate the water and pump it inland to places like that?


I originally had that thought when I was writing a futuristic sci-fi short. I never understood why it was never implemented. Yes, it would cost billions of dollars, but is that not better than risking millions of lives?

 

[KayisforKale]

Lake Erie sand burns too. Could be from the cig butts in the sand though

Even when I smoke cigarettes, I have never understood why people do not just stub them out and put the butt in their pocket. It is not hard to not litter!

 

[azurbanclucker]

You know... If the world is worried about ocean levels rising, is there not a way to de-salinate the water and pump it inland to places like that?


I originally had that thought when I was writing a futuristic sci-fi short. I never understood why it was never implemented. Yes, it would cost billions of dollars, but is that not better than risking millions of lives?

Yes. Desalination tech has existed for thousands of years. Even with modernization, it's expensive though because it requires a lot of energy. I know Multiple nations in the middle East leverage desalination today, but the process needs to keep being improved to become more energy efficient in order to really see it be adopted as common.

 

[KayisforKale]

Yes. Desalination tech has existed for thousands of years. Even with modernization, it's expensive though because it requires a lot of energy. I know Multiple nations in the middle East leverage desalination today, but the process needs to keep being improved to become more energy efficient in order to really see it be adopted as common.

Ok, I knew almost none of that. I thought I just had a really good idea when I was, like, 18. I had no idea places actually kind of do it. I think I wanted lions to have more drinkable water when I thought of it. But now I think, well, why do no companies donate the services/materials? If the world's governments and subsidies worked together, you would think it would be more plausible.

 

[tripletfeb]

You know... If the world is worried about ocean levels rising, is there not a way to de-salinate the water and pump it inland to places like that?


I originally had that thought when I was writing a futuristic sci-fi short. I never understood why it was never implemented. Yes, it would cost billions of dollars, but is that not better than risking millions of lives?

We toured a submarine(USS Cod) that is docked on Lake Erie, a few years ago. They had water tanks on it that turned the ocean water into fresh. I believe it was a WWII sub

 

[azurbanclucker]

Ok, I knew almost none of that. I thought I just had a really good idea when I was, like, 18. I had no idea places actually kind of do it. I think I wanted lions to have more drinkable water when I thought of it. But now I think, well, why do no companies donate the services/materials? If the world's governments and subsidies worked together, you would think it would be more plausible.

it isn't quite that simple. Removing the salt from the water doesn't make the salt go away, so you have this super salt waste sludge (called brine) left over after you're done. It also often contains other minerals and biological waste (plankton, pathogens, etc) and is somewhat hazardous. Common practice is to dump it back into the ocean / aquifer you're sourcing from, but that messes up the salinity of the native ecosystem and kills off plants and animals.

I mentioned the energy use cost, it's crazy high. Current desalination tech in the US costs 2x (on average) more than just piping water in from someplace else. Until it's cheaper, it won't happen.

AZ is currently doing a longterm study with a company based out of Israel to look into setting up a plant on the sea of Cortez in Mexico and pipe a million acre feet of water up. That could be a 3-5 billion a year recurring cost.

To make it really efficient, we need cheaper energy sources (Better solar/wind/fusion most likely) And a solid approach to safely reintroducing the byproduct or developing a secondary use for it (perhaps as fertilizer components or some alternate energy source).

Neither of those are going to happen on a time scale sooner than decades at best.

I should really start a science thread.