Redmond Student Invents Cheaper Way to Make Seawater Drinkable

REDMOND, WA - A Redmond high school student has figured out a new way to remove salt from seawater, and his invention has earned him a spot in a national competition of high school-age scientists.

Apoorv Khandelwal, 17, a senior at Tesla STEM High School, has been selected as one of 40 Regeneron STS 2017 Scholars. Khandelwal in March will travel to Washington, D.C., to compete with the other 39 scholars and prove that his process works.

If he prevails in the competition, he could win $250,000 - but also the chance to bring his invention to those who need it most.

Khandelwal spoke to the Seattle Times about his process - called "Molecular Dynamics Simulation and Experimental Fabrication of Nanoporous Graphene Membranes for Optimal Water Permeability in Reverse Osmosis Desalination" - and said that, if it works well enough, it can bring potable water to millions of people around the world.

Khandelwal explained that his process uses graphene, literally the thinnest material on Earth - it's just one atom thick. By poking nanoscale holes in the graphene, Khandelwal says, you create a membrane that allows water molecules to flow while blocking salt.

Desalination is an extremely expensive process. A planned desalination plant near the Red Sea could cost up to $900 million to build. So Khandelwal hopes his invention can provide fresh drinking water to people where no potable or fresh water exists at a lower cost.

"The provision of clean water is a significant global challenge," he told the Times. "There's limited availability for nearly half the world's population."

Two other Washington students will compete with Khandelwal: Surabhi Gopal Mundada, 17, of Olympia High School has invented a device to help people with Parkinson's disease; and Naveena Bontha, 17, of Hanford High School in Richland has invented a way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Image via Pixabay