Desalination

This concentrator photovoltaic unit at IBM Research is being used to collect data to optimize scale up to industrial systems

Environment

IBM's solar-powered desalination plant to hydrate the Saudi desert

IBM has teamed with Saudi's King Abdulaziz City For Science and Technology to develop a desalination plant energized by highly efficient solar power

The new reverse osmosis membrane will help desalination plants avoid costly clogging and membrane damage (Image: Tom.Arthur via Flickr)

Environment

New reverse-osmosis membrane to improve desalination

A new highly permeable, surface-structured membrane that resists the clogging that typically occurs when seawater, brackish water and waste-water are purified could help to significantly reduce desalination operating costs.

A single unit of the new desalination device - in the Y-shaped channel (in red), seawater enters from the right, and fresh water leaves through the lower channel at left, while concentrated brine leaves through the upper channel (Image: Patrick Gillooly/MIT)

Science

New water desalination approach could lead to portable units for disaster relief or remote locations

A new approach to desalination, called ion concentration polarization, could lead to small, portable desalination units that could deliver enough fresh water to supply the needs of a family or small village.

Graduate student Alex Bartman works with the M3 water filtration and desalination system (Photo: UCLA Newsroom)

Environment

The M3 mobile water desalination system cuts the cost of producing clean water

The mini-mobile-modular (M3) “smart” water desalination and filtration system could help determine the feasibility of using available water as a source for a large-scale desalination plant.