Australia’s social and economic growth and the need to develop alternative water supplies is an urgent issue. One of main challenges in overcoming Australia’s water shortage lies in the development of efficient, low energy processes to recover pure water from industrial, brackish and salt water resources.
The goal of the recently established Advanced Membrane Technologies for Water Treatment Research Cluster , is to investigate new, more efficient water treatment processes. They are investigating the development and use of carbon nanotube membranes in energy efficient water reuse and recycling processes. Carbon nanotubes are sheets of carbon atoms tightly rolled into tubes the diameter of only a few water molecules. The smooth inner walls of these nanotubes allow liquid to flow through, while the ultra-tiny pore size keeps out larger molecules. This reduces pressure requirements and saves energy and costs compared to other processes. This new nanotechnology could dramatically increase the energy efficiency and reduce the financial and environmental costs of producing desalinated and recycled water for Australia.
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