Zero-brine solar desalination tech makes fresh water from sunlight
University of Rochester researchers built a solar-powered desalination device with a laser-etched black surface that absorbs most sunlight and draws a thin water film to distill fresh water, while moving the salt to untreated edges to avoid clogging and leaving no brine waste. The surface remains self-cleaning across ocean water, and a related version seeded with nanoparticles can remove lithium from Great Salt Lake samples.