Question

Which of the following statements about desalination is true?
a.
Desalination is less expensive than water reclamation.
b.
Desalination uses large amounts of energy.
c.
Desalination is the main process used to provide water for crop irrigation.
d.
All of the above

Answer 1

Correct answer: b.

Explanation:
- Desalination is energy-intensive (especially thermal distillation; even reverse osmosis requires several kWh per cubic metre), making it costly.
- a is false: desalination is generally more expensive than water reclamation (recycling wastewater).
- c is false: desalination is not the main source for crop irrigation worldwide; most irrigation uses surface and groundwater.