Lessons from 40 Years Inside Desalination and Membrane Technology

Desalination is often misunderstood. It is called too expensive, too energy intensive, or unrealistic at scale. But much of what people believe about desalination technology is outdated, incomplete, or based on early failures rather than decades of real-world progress.

In this episode of the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel, Eric sits down with John Tonner, Executive Director of the American Membrane Technology Association and an XPRIZE Water Scarcity Judge, for a wide-ranging, career-spanning conversation about what people still get wrong about desalination technology and why those misconceptions persist.

With more than 40 years in the industry, John Tonner has worked across thermal desalination, seawater reverse osmosis, energy recovery systems, international water consulting, and large-scale project development. His career spans early, risky desalination plants, the evolution of membrane technology, major breakthroughs in energy recovery, and today’s global push to address water scarcity through innovation and smarter delivery models.

This episode goes beyond theory. It explores what actually worked, what failed, and what lessons engineers, policymakers, utilities, and the public still need to understand about desalination technology today.

If you care about water security, infrastructure, energy use, public health, or the future of clean drinking water, this episode of the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel offers rare, experience-driven insight you will not find in academic papers alone.

(Approximate, topic-based)

00:00 – Welcome to the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel

Why desalination’s reputation does not match its real-world performance

How early technical and operational mistakes shaped public perception

The role of membrane technology in water reuse and potable supply

Why energy costs are often misunderstood in desalination discussions

What needs to change in project delivery, regulation, and communication

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Parents, communities, and policymakers often ask how water quality affects health, long-term sustainability, and family well-being. Conversations about water access intersect with broader public concerns about infrastructure reliability, environmental safety, and future resilience, topics increasingly discussed alongside issues like sleep, health outcomes, and public trust in science.

The Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel is a long-form podcast focused on desalination, water reuse, infrastructure, and the people shaping the future of water. Each episode brings real-world experience and honest conversations to the forefront of global water challenges.

The Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel is available on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.

🎙️ Subscribe to the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel for in-depth conversations about water, technology, and innovation

Why does a technology we think of as “modern” actually date back thousands of years?

In this episode of the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel, we explore why desalination is one of humanity’s oldest technologies, and how turning seawater into fresh water has shaped civilizations, public health, and the modern world.

This podcast episode features author and engineer Emilio Gabbrielli, whose book traces more than 7,000 years of desalination history. From ancient distillation methods to Renaissance-era designs by Leonardo da Vinci, to Cold War investments championed by John F. Kennedy, this conversation reveals that desalination is not a new invention, but a rediscovered survival technology.

In this episode of the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel, we connect ancient innovation with modern engineering, exploring how desalination supports public health, families, and communities. Access to clean water is foundational to hygiene, sleep quality, child development, disease prevention, and vaccine effectiveness. For parents and caregivers, reliable fresh water underpins health outcomes that are often taken for granted.

This podcast discussion goes beyond technology to examine geopolitics, environmental concerns, and the myths surrounding desalination. We talk honestly about brine, energy use, cost, and why many misconceptions persist, despite decades of real-world data.

The Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel is a podcast for decision-makers, engineers, utility leaders, policymakers, and anyone interested in water security, infrastructure, and the future of civilization.

00:00 Welcome to the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel

Desalination is one of humanity’s oldest survival technologies

Ancient, Renaissance, and modern desalination methods are deeply connected

Leonardo da Vinci designed early desalination systems

JFK viewed desalination as a humanitarian and global priority

Clean water is essential for health, hygiene, sleep, and disease prevention

Reliable water access supports families, children, and vaccine effectiveness

Environmental concerns around desalination are often misunderstood

Modern reverse osmosis builds on decades of public research

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🔔 Subscribe to the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel on YouTube

Water is invisible, until it is not.

In this episode of the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel, host Eric Jankel sits down with Harry Cohen, Hillsborough County Commissioner and Chairman of Tampa Bay Water, to uncover the hidden infrastructure that quietly supports daily life for more than 2.6 million people across the Tampa Bay region.

From hurricanes and drought cycles to rapid population growth and environmental protection, this conversation explains how groundwater, surface water, and desalination work together to keep water flowing under pressure. At the center of the system is the Tampa Bay seawater desalination plant, the first large-scale municipal seawater reverse osmosis plant in North America, and a critical safeguard against water shortages.

This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in desalination, water infrastructure, public policy, climate resilience, and podcasting about complex systems that directly affect families, public health, and everyday life. Reliable water underpins everything, from household health to regional economic stability.

The Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel goes beyond headlines to explore how long-term planning, investment, and regional cooperation protect future water supplies.

00:00 – Why water is a precious and finite resource

• Why desalination functions as an insurance policy for water systems

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Subscribe to the Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel for in-depth conversations on desalination, water reuse, infrastructure, and the future of water.

New episodes drop every Friday.

Share this episode with engineers, policymakers, sustainability leaders, educators, and anyone who wants to understand how clean water supports healthy families and resilient communities.

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This is podcasting for the people who keep the water running.

Salty Water Podcast with Eric Jankel is for decision-makers, innovators, and leaders shaping the future of water.

Each episode features in-depth conversations with experts across desalination, water reuse, water infrastructure, and water technology, offering practical insight into what is working, what is changing, and what is coming next, without hype, just real experience.

Hosted by Eric Jankel, a water industry executive with more than 40 years of global experience. Eric is the CEO of Aqualyng Holdings, founding director of the Middle East Desalination Research Center in Muscat, Oman, and former commercial lead for desalination technologies at global engineering firms including Hatch and Jacobs.

Over his career, Eric has worked alongside some of the most dedicated and innovative professionals in the water sector. This podcast is his opportunity to bring their stories, lessons, and insights directly to you.

In addition to deep dives on breakthrough technologies, policy shifts, and project development, the Salty Water Podcast features career spotlight episodes that explore how industry leaders entered the field, what they have learned along the way, and what guidance they want to pass on to the next generation. These conversations are especially valuable for professionals in government, utilities, engineering, project development, and environmental strategy.

The Salty Water Podcast helps you stay informed on the people and ideas making global water systems more efficient, sustainable, and resilient.

New episodes are released weekly on Fridays.

Season 1 is 10 episodes.

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