| Summary: |
In the 21st century, the fresh water supplies (natural fountains, lakes, rivers, aquifers) have always been scarce and these supplies are dwindling. If current projections hold, it is estimated that there will be a huge increase in the number of people around the world facing water scarcity, reaching as high as 18 per cent of the world's population in the coming decades. Desalination of seawater and brackish water is an excellent solution. If we can significantly reduce the energy needed for water desalination, we can potentially make seawater desalination more representative in the world. The development of membranes incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) offers a potential solution to increase the permeability of water, to enhance the chemical compatibility of the membranes and to decrease membrane fouling. The objective of this project is to develop innovative CNT-membranes with enhanced physical and chemical properties for water desalination and purification applications, by tuning the surface chemistry of the CNTs. |