South Korea to develop water desalination technology

The South Korean Government is developing a new desalination technology that uses natural gas hydrate to treat water.

The technology removes gas from methane hydrate, a crystalline compound consisting of gas molecules surrounded by a cage of water molecules.

The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said that test results showed that the new technology lowers salinity by 80% and provides higher efficiency and economic viability.

The ministry will provide KRW11bn ($9.2m) to the Institute of Industrial Technology to develop the technology over the next five years.

The ministry will also invite corporate participants to set up a desalination plant with a capacity of 20t per day by 2015, according to The Korea Herald.