Desalinization has become a very affordable solution in order to face the lack of fresh water resources in numerous regions of the world. The core of the process is based on reverse osmosis.
Despite the proven efficiency of reverse osmosis, the process remains rather expensive because of the high pressure of water necessary to compensate the low permeability of current membranes in use, which are very dense.
Towards a more efficient, more resistant, and less expensive nanoporous membrane
Researchers of Institute of Physics Rennes (CNRS/Université de Rennes 1), in collaboration with the Institute of Chemical Sciences of Rennes and Sherbrooke University, Canada, have used Molecular Dynamics Simulations, in order to show that boron nitride nanoporous membranes enable a dramatic increase of permeability. Their capacity of sequestering ions is close to 100%
Among other fundings, theses researches have received the support of Université de Rennes 1 throughout the “growing scientific challenge 2018” awards.
References
High Water Flux with Ions Sieving in a Desalination 2D Sub-Nanoporous Boron Nitride Material
Xavier Davoy, Alain Gellé, Jean-Christophe Lebreton, Hervé Tabuteau, Armand Soldera, Anthony Szymczyk, and Aziz Ghoufi
CS Omega, 2018, 3 (6), pp 6305–6310 | 12 juin 2018 (web) | doi: 10.1021/acsomega.8b01076
The IPR carries out both fundamental and applied research at the highest international level thanks to the expertise of its technical and administrative personnel.
These last years, the Institute got three of its projects financed by the ERC among which DISFILM, carried out by Pr.Isabelle Cantat in 2017.
