One-Step Desalination Method Purifies Water Faster

Feb-13-14 A new method of desalinating water removes more than the salt—it also clears the water of bacteria and particulates.

The method, called shock electrodialysis, was developed by a team from MIT. It builds upon the recent experiments with electrodialysis in which the sodium and chlorine ions pass through a membrane to leave the purified water behind. This process is carried out in the presence of an electric field, and is basically the opposite of reverse osmosis. Electrodialysis is much faster than reverse osmosis, but it only removes the salt from the water, and so requires additional purification.

In contrast, the shock electrodialysis method is able to produce purified drinking water in just one step. This is accomplished by the addition of a porous material made of fitted glass that is placed near the cathode to act as a filter. The pore size of the glass is about 0.5 microns, preventing particulates from passing through. And although bacteria are smaller than the filter’s pores, they also will not fit through the filter—perhaps because they are either trapped or destroyed by the electric fields near the cathode.

More Info about this Invention:

[TECHNOLOGYREVIEW.COM]

---