§ Mr. C. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the membership of the committee set up to consider desalination of salt water by nuclear energy; when he expects to receive their report; and what other inquiries 124W are being conducted into ways of turning salt water into fresh.
§ Sir E. BoyleThe Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has formed a Desalination Research Committee to advise how it can most usefully assist British Industry in the general field of desalination research and development. The membership of the committee is:
- Dr. L. Grunberg (National Engineering Laboratory) (Chairman).
- Professor R. S. Silver (Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh).
- Dr. A. Hitchcock (U.K.A.E.A.).
- Dr. R. G. H. Watson (Admiralty Materials Laboratory).
- Dr. F. H. H. Valentin (Warren Spring Laboratory).
- Mr. J. Leicester (British Launderers' Research Association).
- Dr. H. C. Simpson (G. and J. Weir Ltd.).
The Committee is at present considering an application for assistance in the distillation field. The Committee has also been informed of industrial interest in freezing and reverse osmosis. The Committee has a continuing function in advising the Department and is unlikely to render specific reports. I know of no committee set up to consider desalination of salt water by nuclear energy.
The International Atomic Energy Authority has convened two panel meetings on the use of nuclear energy in salt water conversion at which the United Kingdom was represented by Professor Silver and Dr. Hitchcock.