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Did you ever swallow water while swimming in the ocean? If you have, you’ve tasted salt water! People need to drink water to survive, but they can’t drink salt water - unless, of course, the salt is removed.

In Israel and other places where drinking water is scarce, desalination plants have been built that turn salt water into fresh water.

One way to take the salt out of water is a process called distillation. Distillation means heating the water until it boils and turns into steam. The steam is then collected in a separate container. When the steam cools and turns into liquid water again, it is pure enough to drink.

Another way to desalinate water is called reverse osmosis. The process is simple - high pressure pushes salt water through a filter that allows liquid but not solids (like salt) to pass through.

Build a solar-powered desalination plant of your own using the distillation process. It’s simple! Scroll down to find out how:

• two 2-liter plastic soda bottles • black spray paint • one foot of clear plastic tubing, 1/2" or larger (the kind used for an aquarium) • duct tape • salt • water

    With safety in mind, spray one of the
    2-liter bottles black. (Ask an adult for help.)
    Mix 1/2 cup of salt with a quart of water.
    Pour the salt water into the black 2-liter bottle.
    Attach the clear tubing to both 2-liter bottles with duct tape.
    Set both bottles in a sunny window. Place the black
    bottle higher than the clear bottle.
    After several days, water will have moved from the black bottle to the clear bottle, and the water will no longer be salty.