Damian Palin: Mining minerals from seawater

Translator: Timothy Covell Reviewer: Morton Bast

譯者: Hsin Haydn 審譯者: Jiadong Ma

I collaborate with bacteria.

我和細菌合作

And I'm about to show you

而我將要呈現的

some stop-motion footage that I made recently

是一些我最近拍的靜態連續影像

where you'll see bacteria accumulating minerals

從這些影像中可以看到細菌

from their environment

如何在一個小時內從周遭環境中

over the period of an hour.

累積礦物質

So what you're seeing here

您現在看到的

is the bacteria metabolizing,

是細菌的代謝作用

and as they do so

而當它們正在代謝時

they create an electrical charge.

會產生一股電流

And this attracts metals

這股電流會從周遭環境中

from their local environment.

聚吸金屬

And these metals accumulate as minerals

然後這些金屬慢慢累積成礦物質

on the surface of the bacteria.

貼附於細菌的表面

One of the most pervasive problems

在當今世界，一個人們

in the world today for people

普遍遇到的問題就是

is inadequate access

人群中可使用清潔飲用水

to clean drinking water.

的比率不足

And the desalination process

而海水淡化的工序

is one where we take out salts.

可以讓我們過濾掉海水裡的鹽分。

We can use it for drinking and agriculture.

這種水可以用來飲用或者灌溉農田。

Removing the salts from water --

通過反向過濾

particularly seawater --

從水中 ，特別是海水中

through reverse osmosis

移除鹽分

is a critical technique

是一個無比重要的技術。

for countries who do not have access to clean drinking water

這對那些沒有辦法獲取乾淨的飲用水的國家

around the globe.

更是重要。

So seawater reverse osmosis

海水反向過濾是一種使用隔膜過濾的技術。

is a membrane-filtration technology.

海水反向過濾是一種使用隔膜過濾的技術。

We take the water from the sea

我們抽取海水並施以壓力，

and we apply pressure.

我們抽取海水並施以壓力，

And this pressure forces the seawater

而這個壓力強迫海水通過隔膜。

through a membrane.

而這個壓力強迫海水通過隔膜。

This takes energy,

這是通過消耗能量來得到乾淨的水。

producing clean water.

這是通過消耗能量來得到乾淨的水。

But we're also left with a concentrated salt solution, or brine.

但我們同時也有很濃的鹽水剩下。

But the process is very expensive

而且整個過程非常的昂貴，

and it's cost-prohibitive for many countries around the globe.

它高昂的代價使世界上很多的國家退縮。

And also, the brine that's produced

不僅如此，產生的濃鹽水常常被直接送回海洋中。

is oftentimes just pumped back out into the sea.

不僅如此，產生的濃鹽水常常被直接送回海洋中。

And this is detrimental to the local ecology

對當地的海洋生態有破壞性的影響，

of the sea area that it's pumped back out into.

對當地的海洋生態有破壞性的影響，

So I work in Singapore at the moment,

爲此，我現在在新加坡工作

and this is a place that's really a leading place

這是現在在脫鹽科技獨領全球的地方。

for desalination technology.

這是現在在脫鹽科技獨領全球的地方。

And Singapore proposes by 2060

新加坡計劃在 2060 年之前

to produce [900] million liters per day

達到每天生產9億公升的脫鹽水的目標。

of desalinated water.

達到每天生產9億公升的脫鹽水的目標。

But this will produce an equally massive amount

但這同時也會生產出同樣大量的濃鹽水。

of desalination brine.

但這同時也會生產出同樣大量的濃鹽水。

And this is where my collaboration with bacteria comes into play.

而這就是我和細菌合作的開始。

So what we're doing at the moment

我們現在正在做的

is we're accumulating metals

便是從濃鹽水中累積像鈣、鉀和鎂的一樣的金屬。

like calcium, potassium and magnesium

便是從濃鹽水中累積像鈣、鉀和鎂的一樣的金屬。

from out of desalination brine.

便是從濃鹽水中累積像鈣、鉀和鎂的一樣的金屬。

And this, in terms of magnesium

而這……就拿鎂來說吧。

and the amount of water that I just mentioned,

通過處理9億升的濃鹽水，

equates to a $4.5 billion

我們能生產價值45億美元的鎂。

mining industry for Singapore --

而新加坡本身

a place that doesn't have any natural resources.

恰是一個沒有任何自然資源的地方。

So I'd like you to image a mining industry

所以我希望你們可以想像一個

in a way that one hasn't existed before;

前所未有的礦業；

imagine a mining industry

想像一個不需要污損地球土地的礦業；

that doesn't mean defiling the Earth;

想像一個不需要污損地球土地的礦業；

imagine bacteria helping us do this

想像細菌會幫我們從濃鹽水中

by accumulating and precipitating

想像細菌會幫我們從濃鹽水中

and sedimenting minerals

累積、凝結以及沉澱礦物質的世界。

out of desalination brine.

累積、凝結以及沉澱礦物質的世界。

And what you can see here

而你现在可以看到的是

is the beginning of an industry in a test tube,

一個從試管中升起的行業，

a mining industry that is in harmony with nature.

一個和自然和諧共存的礦業。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

(全場鼓掌)