Inspired By Nature, IIT Scientists Find New Way To Make Seawater Drinkable
A multinational team of scientists has collaboratively developed a unique method to turn seawater into freshwater.?
Inspired by how nature operates, scientists from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) - Madras, Swinburne University of Technology ( Australia), and Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands) came together to convert saline seawater into drinkable freshwater.
What did scientists do?
Using carbon nanotubes and graphene nanopores, the scientists improved on already known permeation capabilities of graphitic carbon materials. The problem with previous methods was their tube-like structure, which got in the way of permeation, all thanks to hydrodynamic resistance at the entrance of the tubes.
To fix this, scientists took a cue from nature. After observing the hourglass-like shape of aquaporins, scientists introduced a conical/hourglass-shaped inlet for water to pass through.
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The passage of water through such a structure facilitates the separation of salts from the water, based on which it was tried carbon nanomaterial-based membranes.
It's all in the shapes
According to team leader Professor Sarith P. Sathian, the study has revealed hourglass-shaped nanopores help in better permeation of water, meaning "same mechanisms can be reproduced in a different system of nanopores which can provide a higher desalination efficiency."
The study also highlighted that "ion rejection is chiefly dependent on the CNT sizes" - implying a more effective desalination technique may be developed without compromising on how much salt is rejected during the filtering process.
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The team comprised Vishnu Prasad Kurupath from IIT Madras, Dr. Sridhar Kumar Kannam from Swinburne University of Technology, Australia, and Dr. Remco Hartkamp, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. The study's findings were published in the journal called "Desalination" and first reported by Vigyan Prasar.
What do you think about this fantastic new way to treat seawater, especially given the threat to our freshwater sources due to to climate change? Let us know in the comments below.
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Citation
Vigyan Prasar (November, 2021).?Nature inspired technique to help turn seawater into freshwater.? ??
