Nanophotonics-enabled solar membrane distillation for off-grid water purification

Abstract

Current desalination technologies provide solutions to the increasing water demands of the planet but require substantial electric energy, limiting their sustainable use where conventional power infrastructure may be unavailable. Here, we report a direct solar method for desalination that utilizes nanoparticle-assisted solar vaporization in a membrane distillation geometry. This scalable process is capable of providing sufficient clean water for family use in a compact footprint, potentially for off-grid desalination at remote locations.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jun 19, 2017
Source ID
10.1073/pnas.1701835114

Entities

People

  • Akshay Deshmukh
  • Alessandro Alabastri
  • Jinjian Wu
  • Katherine R Zodrow
  • Menachem Elimelech
  • Naomi J. Halas
  • Nathaniel J. Hogan
  • Oara Neumann
  • Peter Nordlander
  • Pratiksha D Dongare
  • Qilin Li
  • Seth Pedersen
  • Tianxiao Wang

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • National Science Foundation
  • Rice University
  • Robert A. Welch Foundation
  • Yale University

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of Proposed Air Force Base Actions.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology