Engineers need to obtain potable water from an inland salt lake. The water contains safe levels of microbes but too much dissolved salt.
Processes R and S are distillation and reverse osmosis, in an unspecified order.
The treatment unit can produce a maximum pressure of 500 kPa.
| Process | Pressure required in kPa |
|---|---|
| R | 100 |
| S | 6000 |
Identify the process, R or S, that the engineers should use and name the desalination method.
Explain how this method separates water from dissolved salts.
Use the pressure data and your knowledge of the two methods to justify why this method is suitable for the treatment unit.
87 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Chemistry 10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water, covering 10.1.1 Using the Earth's resources and sustainable development, 10.1.2 Potable water, 10.1.3 Waste water treatment, and 10.1.4 Alternative methods of extracting metals. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.