ʻO ka hoʻololi ʻana i ka ea a me ka ulu wikiwiki ʻana o ka ʻoihana honua a me ka mahiʻai ua lilo ka pilikia o ka nele i ka wai hou, a ke piʻi nui nei ka hoʻolako ʻana i ka wai maʻemaʻe, no laila ua nele kekahi mau kūlanakauhale kahakai i ka wai. ʻO ka pilikia wai ka mea i koi mua ʻole ʻia no ka desalination wai kai. ʻO nā mea hana desalination membrane kahi hana e komo ai ka wai kai ma o kahi membrane semi-permeable spiral ma lalo o ke kaomi, paʻa ka paʻakai nui a me nā minela i loko o ka wai kai ma ka ʻaoʻao kaomi kiʻekiʻe a hoʻokahe ʻia me ka wai kai koʻikoʻi, a puka mai ka wai hou. mai ka aoao kaomi haahaa.

Wahi a ka National Bureau of Statistics, ʻo ka nui o nā kumuwaiwai wai ma Kina he 2830.6billion cubic mika i ka makahiki 2015, ʻo ia hoʻi ma kahi o 6% o nā kumu wai honua, ʻo ka helu ʻehā i ka honua. Eia naʻe, he 2,300 cubic mika wale nō ka wai maʻemaʻe o kēlā me kēia kanaka, ʻo ia wale nō ka 1/35 o ka awelika o ka honua, a aia ka hapa o nā kumu wai kūlohelohe maoli. Me ka wikiwiki o ka ʻenehana a me ka hoʻonui ʻana i ke kūlanakauhale, ʻoi aku ka nui o ka haumia o ka wai ma muli o ka wai ʻona ʻenehana a me ka wai hoʻoheheʻe kūloko o ke kūlanakauhale. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻomaʻemaʻe ʻana i ka wai kai kahi ala nui no ka hoʻohui ʻana i ka wai inu maikaʻi loa. Hoʻohana ka ʻoihana hoʻomaʻemaʻe wai kai o Kina i ka 2/3 o ka huina. Ma Kekemapa 2015, ua kūkulu ʻia nā papahana desalination wai kai 139 ma ka ʻāina holoʻokoʻa, me ka nui o 1.0265 miliona tons/lā. ʻO ka wai ʻenehana he 63.60%, a ʻo ka wai noho no 35.67%. Hoʻohana nui ka papahana desalination honua i ka wai noho (60%), a ʻo ka wai ʻoihana wale nō ka helu no 28%.

ʻO kahi pahuhopu koʻikoʻi o ka hoʻomohala ʻana i ka ʻenehana desalination wai kai e hōʻemi i nā kumukūʻai hana. I ka hoʻohui ʻana i nā kumukūʻai hana, ʻo ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka ikehu uila ka hapa nui loa. ʻO ka hoʻemi ʻana i ka ikehu ka mea maikaʻi loa e hōʻemi i nā kumukūʻai desalination wai kai.