FURI | Fall 2020

Solar Membrane Desalination

The project focusses on controlling scaling resistance in solar membrane distillation by monitoring the role of temperature, hydrodynamic conditions and concentration polarization. The researcher hypothesized that the maximum solar water production efficiency will be found in a medium between scaling resistance and high flux. The objectives of this research are characterizing the tradeoff between flux and scaling resistance, investigating the fundamental mechanism of inorganic fouling on self-heating surfaces, and determining the scaling propensity of self-heating membranes. The results of this study will inform the development of more resilient solar desalination systems for off-grid water treatment.