Abstract Description: The root of all major issues pertaining to global water resources today stems from a lack of accessibility to fresh, safe potable water. It is estimated that over 1 billion people currently live without access to safe drinking water, and this number more than doubles to over 2.3 billion people when basic sanitation services are considered. The lack of accessibility to safe potable water is due in part to a lack of necessary water infrastructure as well as poor maintenance and management of the limited infrastructure that currently exists. As freshwater sources represent only 0.01% of the Earth's total water budget while oceans represent 97.2% of Earth's total water supply, refinement and application of desalination technologies is strongly believed to be the long-term solution to this water scarcity problem by significantly expanding water resource availability across the globe. This paper provides a brief background on principles, process technologies, and environmental, energy, and economic considerations relevant to desalination. An outline of a desalination course proposed for undergraduate engineering and science students is presented that is designed to assist students in understanding fundamental principles and problem-solving approaches relevant to real-world challenges to the expansion of cost-effective desalination technologies for sustainably solving our ever worsening water scarcity crisis.
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