Using Green Nanoparticles as a Biofouling- Resistant Agent in Reverse Osmosis Desalination

Mitigating membrane biofouling from rejected chemicals and microbes poses a major technical challenge in the use of membranes for desalination and wastewater treatment. Most research and development in the area of biofouling prevention has focused on pretreatment of the feed water, improved cleaning solutions, and cleaning procedures. This project will take a new approach: developing biofouling-resistant nanocomposite membranes impregnated with silver ions, from synthesis to macro scale production, and investigating and testing membrane performance under different operational conditions.
 
In this field of nanostructured materials, a new class of surface structured reverse osmosis membranes will be developed with hydrophilic properties and biofouling resistance. After refining the nanoparticle and membrane production techniques, the research team will develop scalable techniques to manufacture the membranes. This is an important step in producing membranes for bench scale testing and demonstrating that the membranes can be produced commercially.