Egyptian scientists unveil cost-effective desalination technology: Report

Thursday 10 Sep 2015 - 12:18 Makkah mean time-26-11-1436

Alexandria, (IINA) - Researchers at Alexandria University in Egypt have unveiled a cost-effective desalination technology, which can filter highly salty water in minutes, OnIslam reported.
The technology is based on membranes containing cellulose acetate powder, produced in Egypt. The powder, in combination with other components, binds the salt particles as they pass through, making the technique useful for desalinating seawater. “The membrane we produced can easily be made in any laboratory using cheap ingredients, which makes it an excellent option for developing countries,” says Ahmed El-Shafei, an associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering in Alexandria University, and an author of the study.
The technology uses pervaporation, a technique by which the water is first filtered through the membrane to remove larger particles and then heated until it vaporizes.
The vapor is then condensed to get rid of small impurities, and clean water is collected.
According to the research paper, published in Water Science and Technology last month, this method can be used to desalinate water, which contains different types of contamination, such as salt, sewage and dirt. This kind of water is difficult to clean quickly using existing procedures.
The membrane technology in combination with vaporization can be applied in remote settings, as it requires only the membranes for the filtering process, and fire to vaporize the filtered water, the researchers say.
“Using pervaporation eliminates the need for electricity that is used in classic desalination processes, thus cutting costs significantly,” says El-Shafei.
Pervaporation is used to separate organic liquids, like alcohols, and is one of the more common systems used in sewage treatment to separate water from organic solvents.
The technology has been around since the mid-90s, Helmy El-Zanfaly, a professor of water contamination at Egypt’s National Research Center. But, he says, “What is new is making the membrane locally, using materials abundant in Egypt and developing countries.”
The technology can be adapted for commercial use by producing larger sheets of the membrane and cutting these into suitable swathes, according to El-Shafei.
The next step for the team is to establish a small desalination unit as a pilot project for the technology.
SM/IINA

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