How do you extract water from seawater?

You can extract water from seawater using a process called distillation.

Distillation: The Process Explained

Distillation is a method that effectively separates water from salt and other impurities found in seawater. Here’s how it works:

Heating the Seawater:
- First, the seawater is heated until it reaches its boiling point. The heat energy is used to convert the liquid water into steam, a gaseous form of water.
- As described by our reference, "Sea water is heated until it boils."
Salt Remains Behind:
- During this process, the salt and other impurities in the seawater do not vaporize. Instead, they are left behind as a solid or concentrated liquid residue.
Steam Collection:
- The steam, which is now pure water in a gaseous state, is collected separately from the salt and other impurities.
Condensation:
- The collected steam is then cooled. Cooling causes the steam to condense back into liquid water, a process known as condensation.
Potable Water:
- The result is pure, potable water, ready for drinking or other uses. The reference explicitly states, "The steam is cooled and condensed to make potable water."

Step	Description	Result
1	Heat seawater to boiling point.	Water becomes steam.
2	Separate the steam from the salt residue.	Pure steam.
3	Cool the steam.	Steam turns back into water.
4	Collect the condensed water.	Potable water.

Distillation is one of the ways to obtain fresh water from seawater, and it is a crucial method in areas where fresh water is scarce.