Designing a ‘smarter’ water purification unit
As the world struggles with coping against the impact of climate change, finding new and efficient solutions for providing basic amenities to people, e.g., clean water, has never been more important. Within this collaborative SEED funding project, TU Delft researcher Dr. Bijoy Bera, and IIT-Delhi researchers Dr. Bahni Ray and M.Sc. Shivang Ramapriyan, have investigated the fundamentals as well as the applicability of an electrically switchable reverse osmosis-based membrane-type filter.
During the ongoing collaboration, we have looked into the feasibility of removing a specific undesired mineral (present in an ion form) from a solution by applying an external voltage in a porous membrane. First, we studied the system numerically, where the inherent contribution of the moving ions (hence, without the application of an electric field) upon the overall mass/charge transport has been resolved by us. This sheds light upon the constraints of this system, especially, regarding the extent to which an external electric stimulus can govern the switchability of the membrane.
In the next part of the collaboration, the goal is twofold. First, the numerical simulations will be extended to the full system i.e., enhanced desalination in a membrane using an electric field. Secondly, at TU Delft, we will build a model system for testing the real switchability of such a membrane by carrying out experiments. For the second goal, a dedicated flow cell, where electro-swing experiments can be performed, has been designed and fabricated here at TU Delft.
During this collaboration, the IIT-Delhi team visited TU Delft in June 2023 for a tour of Dr. Bera’s lab, especially to look at and discuss the (upcoming) experimental setup. Dr. Bijoy Bera will also visit IIT Delhi in the second week of October (2023), in order to further the discussions and finalize the (first) publication from this collaboration. Together, Dr. Ray and Dr. Bera are also exploring opportunities for applying for research funding which will enable them to continue this novel line of research.
(Left): The central idea is to remove or add specific molecules to water using a functional membrane. (Right): Flow-cell capable of measuring desalination as a function of applied electric field.
