A team of scientists from the Chinese mainland has made a breakthrough in seawater desalination technology by developing a new polyester thin film. Published in the international journal Science on Friday, the research marks a significant advancement in water purification methods.
Led by Professor Zhang Xuan from the Nanjing University of Science and Technology, the team introduced a polyester reverse osmosis membrane that addresses several limitations of traditional commercial polyamide membranes. This innovation offers a promising solution for the next generation of seawater desalination.
While reverse osmosis membranes are effective in terms of water permeability and salt rejection, they are susceptible to degradation when exposed to chlorine and other strong oxidants. Professor Zhang highlighted that the pre-treatment process for desalination typically involves chlorinating seawater, which can damage the chemical structure of polyamide films, necessitating additional dechlorination steps before filtration.
The newly developed polyester membrane exhibits impressive resistance to hydrolytic degradation and complete immunity to chlorine. This resilience can significantly reduce the necessary pre-treatment steps in desalination, making the process more efficient and cost-effective.
Reference(s):
Chinese scientists develop new material for seawater desalination
cgtn.com
