The theory, which was presented in a paper that was published in the journal Joule, uses the sun's dual powers .
The intrinsic qualities of seawater to evaporate water and leave behind salt by simulating the "thermohaline" circulation .
The configuration that the scientists have created sees water moving in whirling eddies akin to oceanic thermohaline circulation.
When there is circulation and sunlight, water can evaporate. As a result, the salt continues to circulate inside the gadget.
The remaining salt is ejected, preventing accumulation and system obstructions, and the water vapor is subsequently condensed.
In terms of water production rate and salt rejection rate, the newly created technology outperforms all passive solar desalination prototypes now in use.
It is now possible, according to Lenan Zhang, a research scientist in MIT's Device Research Laboratory, for solar-produced water to be even less expensive than tap water.
If made larger until it was the size of a compact suitcase, the gadget could produce 4 to 6 liters of drinking water every hour .
The group believes that a scaled-up system could satisfy a small family's daily water needs and possibly help off-grid coastal areas .