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UH researchers making clean water more accessible

Researchers at the University of Houston have developed a new membrane that allows water to flow eight times faster while maintaining high salt rejection rates. This breakthrough could lead to more efficient and cost-effective desalination systems, lowering costs and increasing access to clean water.

SourceUniversity of Houston·JournalACS Applied Materials & Interfaces·DateFeb 26, 2025

New research helps eliminate dead zones in desalination technology and beyond

Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a new technique to eliminate fluid flow dead zones in electrodes used for battery-based seawater desalination. The tapered flow channel design improves fluid flow by two to three times, making it more efficient than current reverse osmosis methods.

SourceUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau·JournalElectrochimica Acta·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 15, 2025

Pilot-scale reverse osmosis treatment of gold cyanidation effluent for the removal of cyanide, heavy metal(loid)s, and ionic species

Researchers found that reverse osmosis removed 99% of contaminants, including arsenic and cyanide, meeting environmental standards. This innovative method provides a scalable solution for the mining industry to improve sustainability.

SourceEscuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral·JournalCase Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 12, 2024

A biomimetic membrane for desalinating seawater on an industrial scale

Researchers have developed a hybrid membrane that combines artificial water channels with a polyamide matrix, resulting in higher flow rates and reduced energy needs for seawater desalination. This breakthrough could lead to more efficient and cost-effective desalination processes on an industrial scale.

SourceCNRS·JournalNature Nanotechnology·DateNov 9, 2020

Illuminating water filtration

A team of researchers has revealed the molecular structure of membranes used in reverse osmosis, a leading method of purifying brackish water into drinking water. The study found that the perpendicular packing motif is better correlated with optimal filtration properties and may be related to how water pathways are oriented.

SourceDOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory·JournalACS Macro Letters·DateMar 28, 2019