What is the most common practice for making seawater potable?

Desalination is the most common practice for making seawater potable. This process involves removing the salt and other impurities from seawater to produce freshwater that is safe for human consumption. Desalination includes various methods, with reverse osmosis and distillation being the most widely utilized techniques.

While distillation is one method of desalination where seawater is heated and the resulting steam is collected and condensed to yield freshwater, it is not the only method and may not be the most frequently employed on a large scale. Reverse osmosis, which uses a membrane to separate salt and impurities from water, has become more prevalent due to its efficiency and lower energy costs.

Filtration, chlorination, and distillation can play roles in water purification, but they do not specifically address the removal of salt from seawater on their own. Filtration typically targets solid particles, chlorination is used for disinfection, and while distillation effectively removes salts, it is less common when compared to other modern desalination methods.