Desalination in seawater with nano membranes

A scientist at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (USA) is studying a new method of desalinating seawater with nanofiltration membranes.

Dr, Chemical Engineer Kamalesh Sirkar, an outstanding Professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and an expert in membrane separation technology, is leading a research team to develop a new method of desalination in seawater.

Sirkar, who has received more than 20 patents in the field of membrane separation, said using his technology, engineers can extract water from seawater with the highest salt concentration.

Sirkar said that ' Our process is especially effective for seawater with salt concentrations above 5.5%. We really like this new process, because we can heat it with low-cost, low-cost heat. Energy costs are less expensive, but they work more efficiently . '

Currently, 5.5% is the highest salt concentration in seawater that can be treated with reverse osmosis.

Sirkar's membrane distillation process is very simple.

Water is heated to evaporate from salt solution. The following pure steam is passed through the nanotube, filtered through a membrane to distill into droplets on the other side of the membrane.

The basic principles of membrane separation have long been known. Human intestines and animals are semi-permeable membranes. Previous experiments that investigated the membrane separation process were carried out by chemists through the membrane of animals.

Currently, membrane separation processes depend on the structure of the membrane and the components of the membrane.

The size of nanotubes is often a condition that determines which molecular components in liquid or gaseous form will be filtered through the membrane.

Typically, typical molecules will move from high concentrations to lower concentrations. Pressure and concentration differences on both walls of the membrane will lead to a real separation. As the size of the tube decreases, the efficiency and the ability to filter through the membrane will increase.

The membrane separation process is used in biomedical, biotechnology, chemical, food, petrochemical, pharmaceutical and water treatment to separate, filter, concentrate liquid or suspension solutions (substances liquid has tiny particles of solids in it) or gas supports.

Sirkar's group carried out this process with ultra-thin film, the size only in nanometers.

He has worked hard to implement the membrane separation and biotechnology separation process in NJIT since 1992.

He anticipates many applications of this process in the future. He said: ' Desalination in seawater stimulates economic development and distilled drinkable water always brings people's attention '.