University of Illinois engineers have found an energy-efficient material for removing salt from seawater that could provide a rebuttal to poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s lament, “Water, water, every where, nor any drop to drink.”
The material, a nanometer-thick sheet of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) riddled with tiny holes called nanopores, is specially designed to let high volumes of water through but keep salt and other contaminates out, a process called desalination. In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, the Illinois team modeled various thin-film membranes and found that MoS2 showed the greatest efficiency, filtering through up to 70 percent more water than graphene membranes.
“Even though we have a lot of water on this planet, there is very little that is drinkable,” said study leader Narayana Aluru, a U. of I. professor of mechanical science and engineering. “If we could find a low-cost, efficient way to purify sea water, we would be making good strides in solving the water crisis.
“Finding materials for efficient desalination has been a big issue, and I think this work lays the foundation for next-generation materials. These materials are efficient in terms of energy usage and fouling, which are issues that have plagued desalination technology for a long time,” said Aluru, who also is affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technologyat the U. of I.
Most available desalination technologies rely on a process called reverse osmosis to push seawater through a thin plastic membrane to make fresh water. The membrane has holes in it small enough to not let salt or dirt through, but large enough to let water through. They are very good at filtering out salt, but yield only a trickle of fresh water. Although thin to the eye, these membranes are still relatively thick for filtering on the molecular level, so a lot of pressure has to be applied to push the water through.
“Reverse osmosis is a very expensive process,” Aluru said. “It’s very energy intensive. A lot of power is required to do this process, and it’s not very efficient. In addition, the membranes fail because of clogging. So we’d like to make it cheaper and make the membranes more efficient so they don’t fail as often. We also don’t want to have to use a lot of pressure to get a high flow rate of water.”
One way to dramatically increase the water flow is to make the membrane thinner, since the required force is proportional to the membrane thickness. Researchers have been looking at nanometer-thin membranes such as graphene. However, graphene presents its own challenges in the way it interacts with water.
Read more: Nanopores could take the salt out of seawater
The Latest on: Desalination
[google_news title=”” keyword=”desalination” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Desalination
- Government admits significant delay in Axarquia desalination planton April 23, 2024 at 2:11 am
Government acknowledges significant delay in Axarquia desalination plant construction due to lack of technical document and coordination..
- Floating drought fighter: Barcelona to get desalination plant off coaston April 22, 2024 at 10:33 am
Barcelona's residents are facing water limitations. Officials believe a floating desalinator is a "more economical and environmentally sustainable solution" than shipping in water.
- Chinese scientists develop new material for seawater desalinationon April 20, 2024 at 4:15 pm
NANJING -- A team of Chinese scientists has developed a polyester thin film that can enhance desalination and water purification technology, with the findings published in the international journal ...
- About 100 people came to state officials to talk desalination. Here's what they said.on April 20, 2024 at 1:07 am
A meeting for the public to speak on a proposed desalination plant brought about 100 people to the city's convention center. Tensions were high.
- As drought lasts, Barcelona swaps water cargo ships for floating desalination plantson April 19, 2024 at 5:18 pm
Catalonia has announced the launch of a unit off the coast and mobile desalinators to supply the Costa Brava with water. Resources remain at an all-time low.
- Contentious TCEQ meeting allows all sides to be heard on seawater desalinationon April 19, 2024 at 11:51 am
TCEQ held a much anticipated public comment meeting at the American Bank Center on Thursday. The City of Corpus Christi's Inner Harbor Seawater Desalination Plant was the subject of discussion.
- Barcelona is banking on a floating desalination plant to fight drought in northeastern Spainon April 19, 2024 at 7:00 am
Local authorities say it is a more economical and environmentally sustainable solution than shipping in water.
- Barcelona to get floating desalination plant to help fight drought in northeastern Spainon April 18, 2024 at 8:06 am
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain’s drought-stricken region of Catalonia will install a floating desalination plant to help the city of Barcelona guarantee its drinking water supply, regional authorities ...
- A desalination plant permit goes to the public again this week. Here's when.on April 18, 2024 at 1:46 am
A permit for seawater desalination in Corpus Christi is coming again to public review. Here's how you can participate.
- Could a new seawater desalination facility be built on the Gulf Coast? A new study is investigatingon April 10, 2024 at 9:18 am
The Gulf Coast Water Authority is leading a new study to see if a seawater desalination plant might be feasible in the Gulf Coast region. Desalination is the process of removing salts from salt water ...
via Bing News