New Desal Tech: 'This Could Change A Whole Lot Of Lives'

A “breakthrough” technology desalinates seawater in a few minutes, according to Egyptian university researchers.

“An innovative polymeric membrane has been invented, which presents a breakthrough in the field of desalination membranes. It can desalinate simulated seawater of exceptionally high concentration,” the study authors wrote in a recent Water Science and Technology article.

As Science Alert put it : “This could change a whole lot of lives.”

The process draws on a desalination technique known as pervaporation and produces potable water. Specifically, it relies on once-through purge-air pervaporation. “Water is first filtered through the membrane to remove larger particles and then heated until it vaporizes. The vapor is then condensed to get rid of small impurities, and clean water is collected,” SciDev.Net reported.

The membrane itself is considered the innovative aspect of this research. “The technology is based on membranes containing cellulose acetate powder, produced in Egypt. The powder, in combination with other components, binds the salt particles as they pass through, making the technique useful for desalinating seawater,” SciDev.Net reported.

Ahmed El-Shafei, an author of the study, explained the significance of the new technology. “The membrane we fabricated can easily be made in any laboratory using cheap ingredients, which makes it an excellent option for developing countries,” he said, per SciDev.Net.

Helmy El-Zanfaly, a professor of water contamination at Egypt’s National Research Center, provided some background on pervaporation, according to SciDev.Net.

“Pervaporation is used to separate organic liquids, like alcohols, and is one of the more common systems used in sewage treatment to separate water from organic solvents. The technology has been around since the mid-90s,” the report said.

“Using pervaporation eliminates the need for electricity that is used in classic desalination processes, thus cutting costs significantly,” El-Shafei said. “What is new is making the membrane locally, using materials abundant in Egypt and developing countries.”

The latest desalination news can be found at Water Online’s Desalination Solutions Center.