Desalination developed over thousands of years until, in the last one hundred and fifty years, it exploded in the face of a growing global water crisis. Often without us being aware, it has become an integral part of the drinking water supply in many cities such as London, Barcelona, Perth and Singapore, and particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, e.g. Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Tel Aviv and Algiers, as well as supplying major industries and agriculture. In 2024, more than 5% of mankind consumes desalinated water from the sea on a daily basis.
This book has been conceived not only for members of the international desalination community, but also for the non-specialist readers who are interested in the historical and social development of an ancient technology that has become of fundamental relevance today and will increasingly be so for the benefit of all mankind.