Nanotechnology Now |
Home > Press > Nanoparticles promise cleaner, cheaper desalination
 |
Abstract:
A research project at Flinders University that promises to reduce dramatically the energy and maintenance costs of desalination has received a grant of $388,000 from the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination (NCED).
Nanoparticles promise cleaner, cheaper desalination
South Australia | Posted on December 22nd, 2010Senator Don Farrell, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, yesterday announced funding of $3 million for 12 projects nationally. Senator Farrell visited Flinders earlier this week to tour the laboratories of the Nanotechnology Desalination Research Project in the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences.
The program's manager, Dr Milena Ginic-Markovic (pictured with Senator Farrell) said the research team was making excellent progress in improving the performance and efficiency of the reverse osmosis process of desalination.
She said that two of the key problems that exist with the current membrane technology are biofouling and mechanical degradation of the membranes.
"The objectives of this three-year project will be to develop a coating for commercially available membranes, which will inhibit biofouling and/or biofoulant growth or reproduction, and to design and synthesise a ‘universal' additive for membrane materials, which will significantly reduce the compaction experienced by current, state-of-the-art polymeric membranes," Dr Ginic-Markovic said.
"By introducing a thin layer of coating and nanoparticles in the membrane system, we can improve the flow of water, reduce the need for cleaning and strengthen the membrane structure."
If the potential reduction of biofouling by 75 per cent is achieved, the energy bill of a desalination plant will be reduced by up 30 per cent, downtime for cleaning could be halved and the life of the membranes extended from two to 10 years.
The NCED, based at Murdoch University, is a Commonwealth Government sponsored consortium of research and industry partners. Its aim is to build national capacity and capability to achieve breakthroughs in fundamental and applied research that will improve desalination at a commercial scale.
####
For more information, please click here
Copyright © Flinders University
If you have a comment, please Contact us.Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Bookmark:
| Related News Press |
News and information
Conference Scheduled June 5-7 on Safe Use of Nanotechnology in Environmental Remediation May 23rd, 2013
Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 2013
Possible Futures
UC Santa Barbara History Professor's Book Elucidates, Celebrates ‘Visioneers' May 14th, 2013
Conceptual Nanomedical Lipofuscin Removal Strategy April 29th, 2013
The Global Desalination Market 2013-2023 April 24th, 2013
Academic/Education
The University of Wyoming uses Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis to characterize nanoparticles in natural environments May 14th, 2013
Nanotechnology Pioneer Named 'Entrepreneur of the Year': Royal Society of Chemistry honors Chad Mirkin for commercializing innovations May 10th, 2013
Announcements
Conference Scheduled June 5-7 on Safe Use of Nanotechnology in Environmental Remediation May 23rd, 2013
Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film May 23rd, 2013
Environment
Conference Scheduled June 5-7 on Safe Use of Nanotechnology in Environmental Remediation May 23rd, 2013
Bacterial spare parts filter antibiotic residue from groundwater May 22nd, 2013
NIA Public Briefing: Nanotechnology and the Council of Europe May 17th, 2013
Nanoadsorbent Synthesized to Remove Toxic Dyes from Textile Industry Wastewater May 16th, 2013
Water
Bacterial spare parts filter antibiotic residue from groundwater May 22nd, 2013
Study Led by George Washington University Professor Provides Better Understanding of Water’s Freezing Behavior at Nanoscale May 21st, 2013
New Stanford Nanoscavengers Could Usher In Next Generation Water Purification May 15th, 2013
The University of Wyoming uses Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis to characterize nanoparticles in natural environments May 14th, 2013
Grants/Awards/Scholarships/Gifts/Contests/Honors/Records
Beautiful "flowers" self-assemble in a beaker: Elaborate nanostructures blossom from a chemical reaction perfected at Harvard May 17th, 2013
Add boron for better batteries: Rice University theorists say graphene-boron mix shows promise for lithium-ion batteries May 17th, 2013
Nanotechnology Pioneer Named 'Entrepreneur of the Year': Royal Society of Chemistry honors Chad Mirkin for commercializing innovations May 10th, 2013
 |
||
 |
||
| The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
 |
||
|
|
||
| Premium Products | ||
 |
||
|
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
 |
||
|
University Technology Transfer & Patents
Learn More |
||
 |
||
|
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
|
|
||
abbigliamento uomo
Computer Accessories
| © Copyright 1999-2013 7th Wave, Inc. All Rights Reserved | PRIVACY POLICY :: CONTACT US :: STATS :: SITE MAP :: ADVERTISE |