Welcome to October’s Technology Update, where we at WaterTreatProcess give you a quick update on important water treatment technology news.
Progress in Very Low Energy Desalination
The University of Bath has published a press release detailing the separation of water molecules from salt water using direct electric input. The technology works by using a positive electrode on one side of a membrane, and a positive electrode on the other side. The feed water is fed on the negative electrode’s side, and the positive electrode will ‘pull’ negatively charged chloride ions throught the membrane. With this transport of ions, water molecules are drawn through the membrane. The chloride ions are then ‘recycled’ by means of a second membrane pore type that lets the chloride ions pass through but allows them to carry less water. Essentially, using AC power, these membrane ‘diodes’ will cycle many times per second between pulling ions and water towards the anode, and pushing the ions back to the main chamber with less water. For the full paper see the publication here.
AqueoUS Vets Launch New Cartridge Filter for PFAS
US company AV (AqueoUS Vets) have launched a new cartride-type filter called Avloflo for the removal of PFAS, arsenic and other contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). The filter range has been designed for flows <110m3/hr (<400 gallon per minute) and comes in different sizes to deal with isolated rural supplies up to industrial flows. AV did not disclose the contents of their cartridges, although they specify using prefiltration to 1 micron. Since the company is known for their use of Activated Carbon (AC) and Ion-Exchange filters, it is to be expected that these cartridges use the same technology. Considering the broad applications recommended for these filters, from PFAS to arsenic, we hypothesize that it is AC. For more information on Activated Carbon see our in-depth article here.
Impact of Storms on Water in Europe
Storm Babet hit the West Coast of Europe just before the weekend of 21/22 October 2023. Reported record water levels in rivers in Scotland and England have exceeded previous values and floods were widespread, with serious impacts on local communities. As autumnal storms are expected to increase in the short term due to warm surface water in the Atlantic Ocean, local and national governments will have to check and revise their storm water management plans to ensure safety during storms.