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Membrane Distillation (MD)

Membrane Distillation (MD) is a thermal desalination process in which water vapour is transported through a hydrophobic porous membrane. Due to a partial pressure difference of vapour between a liquid surface and an air or gas stream, water is vaporised although the liquid phase is much below boiling temperature. A hydrophobic membrane can separate the two phases – liquid water and either vapour or vapour-gas mixture – in order to avoid the transfer of liquid or allow compact stream arrangements. Thus, MD is a non-isothermal membrane separation process with combined heat and mass transfer over the membrane. Parallel arrangement […]

Membrane Distillation (MD)2017-07-28T18:36:06+02:00

Capacitive Deionization (CDI)

In Capacitive Deionization (CDI), charged ionic species are removed from aqueous solutions. The ions are adsorbed onto the surface of a pair of electrically charged electrodes, usually composed of highly porous carbon materials, upon applying an electrical voltage difference. Upon charging the electrodes with a voltage difference of typically 1-1.4 V, the salt ions present in the feed migrate to the electrode of opposite charge, cations to the cathode and anions to the anode, and form electrical double layers (EDLs) along the pore surface. Thus, the water flowing through the CDI cell is partially desalinated. In a discharging step, […]

Capacitive Deionization (CDI)2017-07-28T18:35:32+02:00

Multiple-Effect Humidification (MEH)

The Multiple-Effect Humidification (MEH) process for the extraction of water from salt-, brackish and well water represents a thermal method that is based on the well-known principle of evaporation (humidifier) and subsequent condensation (dehumidifier). The performance of this natural process was improved in the MEH process such that a major portion of the used evaporation energy remains within the process, permitting the low-temperature extraction of drinking water effectively and reasonably, without much waste heat, even in smaller units. The technical design of the process describes the natural water cycle, from evaporation (sea surface to atmosphere) to condensation (warm air […]

Multiple-Effect Humidification (MEH)2017-07-28T18:33:05+02:00

Characterisation and comparison of bacterial communities on reverse osmosis membranes of a full-scale desalination plant by bacterial 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding

PERTH, Australia – A benchmarking study has been carried out on the bacterial build up on reverse osmosis membranes at a full-scale desalination plant which could help prevent biofouling in future operations.

Murdoch University PhD student Veena Nagaraj examined the bacteria living on the membranes on 14 reverse osmosis units in the Perth seawater desalination plant in Rockingham after seven years of operation.

She then compared them to the unused units waiting in the plant for installation.

Before reaching the reverse osmosis membranes, the water has already gone through sand filtration, micro-filtration and chemical treatment to try to remove […]

Characterisation and comparison of bacterial communities on reverse osmosis membranes of a full-scale desalination plant by bacterial 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding2017-07-18T13:55:43+02:00

Motion of the Ocean Generates Fresh Water (RO)

Sandia Labs’ findings have helped Atmocean attract about $3.5 million in investment to continue product testing, add staff and boost component manufacturing at Reytek. The company built full-size seawater pumps and tested the system off the coast of Oregon in 2011 and off Peru for six months in 2015. “The first Peru tests were a big success,” Kithil said. “Other small communities want to see if it will work for them.”

Atmocean is working now with Sandia Labs engineer Tim Koehler on computational modeling of the wave energy system. Following trials in a test tank at the Texas A&M […]

Motion of the Ocean Generates Fresh Water (RO)2017-07-18T13:55:37+02:00

Water exists as two different liquids

Water exists in high- and low-density amorphous ice forms (HDA and LDA), which could correspond to the glassy states of high- (HDL) and low-density liquid (LDL) in the metastable part of the phase diagram. However, the nature of both the glass transition and the high-to-low-density transition are debated and new experimental evidence is needed. Here we combine wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) with X-ray photon-correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) in the small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) geometry to probe both the structural and dynamical properties during the high-to-low-density transition in amorphous ice at 1 bar. By analyzing the structure factor and the radial […]

Water exists as two different liquids2017-07-18T13:55:34+02:00

A new study by a Murdoch researcher may help keep desalination plants flowing

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first benchmarking study of the bacterial build up on the filtration membranes of a full-scale desalination plant.

This problem, known as biofouling, is estimated to cost the worldwide industry US$15 billion each year.

Ms Veena examined the bacteria living on the membranes on 14 reverse osmosis units in the Perth seawater Desalination Plant in Rockingham after seven years of operation and compared them to the unused units waiting in the plant for installation.

This was the first ever study to examine the bacterial communities present on the unused membranes. The study has been published in npj Biofilms and […]

A new study by a Murdoch researcher may help keep desalination plants flowing2017-07-07T10:58:27+02:00

Smart Electrodialysis

EDDI – Eletrodialysis Desalinator for Desalination

Smart Electrodialysis
Electrodialysis is a method of desalination where you use electricity to move the ions of a salt into different channels of water in a parallel stack of flat channels. It has benefits over reverse osmosis in that it doesn’t use plumping systems that need to be watertight under high pressure, and has a longer maintenance schedule.

By using electrodialysis, the system can also be made „smarter“ by supplying a specific amount of power to get a specific salinity. This method is especially useful to farmers who often have a financial tradeoff […]

Smart Electrodialysis2017-07-03T11:08:11+02:00

MXene Ti3C2: An Effective 2D Light-to-Heat Conversion Material

MXene, a new series of 2D material, has been steadily advancing its applications to a variety of fields, such as catalysis, supercapacitor, molecular separation, electromagnetic wave interference shielding. This work reports a carefully designed aqueous droplet light heating system along with a thorough mathematical procedure, which combined leads to a precise determination of internal light-to-heat conversion efficiency of a variety of nanomaterials. The internal light-to-heat conversion efficiency of MXene, more specifically Ti3C2, was measured to be 100%, indicating a perfect energy conversion. Furthermore, a self-floating MXene thin membrane was prepared by simple vacuum filtration and the membrane, in the […]

MXene Ti3C2: An Effective 2D Light-to-Heat Conversion Material2017-06-19T16:22:34+02:00

When waste water freezes, it is purified – applications for the mineral extraction industry?

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Interdisciplinary research on freezing of waste water
Research into the freezing of waste water recently received funding from the Academy of Finland. The name of the research project is WINICE (Wastewater treatment by natural freeze crystallization and ice separation). The duration of the project is three years, 2015-2017.

The study involves LUT researchers in chemical technology, mechanical engineering, and mathematical modelling.  Also conducting research into freezing technology are the so-called icebreakers – the Marine Technology Research Group of Professor Pentti Kujala at Aalto University, and the so-called ice transporters – the mechanical engineering research group of Professor Aki […]

When waste water freezes, it is purified – applications for the mineral extraction industry?2017-05-30T17:22:00+02:00
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