Distillation

In distillation, salty water is heated until water evaporates. Dissolved salts remain behind. The water vapour is cooled, condenses back into liquid water and is collected.

Heating large amounts of water requires considerable energy, so distillation can be expensive.

In distillation, heating evaporates the water while dissolved salts remain behind; cooling the vapour condenses it into collected water. In reverse osmosis, pressure forces water through a membrane that lets water molecules through but holds back dissolved salts. The resulting water must still be made safe for drinking where necessary.

In distillation, salt water is heated until water evaporates. The water vapour is cooled in a condenser, where it changes back into liquid water. The non-volatile salts remain behind because they do not evaporate with the water.