feasible source of soapstone for a solar still desalination project (electric, material)

[zilam98]

i'm from the philippines, and a group of don bosco technical highschool alumni wants to develop a solar still desalination cooperative project for one of the storm haiyan-ravaged islands there. one of the alumni is looking for a source of soapstone for the project, but soapstone is not naturally available there. where can it be feasibly sourced for such a charity project?

[deadwood]

Originally Posted by zilam98

i'm from the philippines, and a group of don bosco technical highschool alumni wants to develop a solar still desalination cooperative project for one of the storm haiyan-ravaged islands there. one of the alumni is looking for a source of soapstone for the project, but soapstone is not naturally available there. where can it be feasibly sourced for such a charity project?

here is a starting point, I hope it might help
World Production, By Country And Product

Best of luck with your project

[harry chickpea]

Soapstone, talc, and asbestos (all related) were mined around where I grew up in Vermont for years. There is a line of that type of material that runs from the Canadian border south towards Springfield Vermont. The asbestos mines are closed and the high quality talc is fairly played out, but there is still some soapstone being mined.

Vermont Soapstone Frequently Asked Questions

The good material would not be available, but you might be able to get some of the broken scrap, commonly known as grout if you can figure out a way to gather and ship it at a reasonable price. My best guess would be to get a shipping container loaded to whatever the safe weight limit is, and then get someone to fund the truck/rail/ship shipment.

From a logistics POV, China might be an easier source.

My guess is that the soapstone is being used as a heat storage media in the solar still project. Molten nitrate salts might be an alternate option.

[gureentree]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

My guess is that the soapstone is being used as a heat storage media in the solar still project. Molten nitrate salts might be an alternate option.

A solar concentrator and molten salt was the direction I was going to recommend. Good thing the Philippines is in the 11 UV index belt.

Electricity and desalination all in one bundle

[zilam98]

i really appreciate all the ideas here. the more, the better!