Paper title:

Carbon nanotubes for desalination: Performance evaluation and current hurdles

 

Journal:

Desalination 308 (2013) 2?14

 

Author/s:

P.S. Goh, A.F. Ismail, B.C. Ng

Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

Faculty of Petroleum and Renewable Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 UTM, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

 

 

Summary:

This is a review paper about the use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for desalination. It discusses about the emergence of nanotechnology in water desalination and the potential of using CNTs for water and ion transport and salt rejection. This article reviews papers that discuss the advantages of incorporating CNTs with membranes such as improvements in salt rejection and water flux.

By reviewing computational (molecular dynamics) and experimental studies, the authors of the paper evaluated the performance of brackish water and seawater desalination processes that use CNTs. They based their evaluation on the flux and salt rejection obtainable in CNT-incorporated membranes. CNT materials reviewed in the paper include CNT membranes, CNT/polymer mixed membranes, and CNT electrodes.

The paper also mentions the challenges being met by desalination using CNT. These include CNT synthesis and processing (synthesizing with well controlled diameters, etc.) Moreover, the environmental impact of the technology of using CNTs for water treatment has not been investigated in detail yet.

 

Contribution and application:

This review paper has summarized the status of using CNTs for desalination. The facts indicated in the review are helpful as we create the link between CNT simulations and their real-life applications. It also gives an emphasis on the significance of molecular dynamics in doing research about CNT applications.

By: Hannah Ebro

hannah@gist.ac.kr