Hydrophobic nanostructured wood membrane for thermally efficient distillation

Date 8th, Aug 2019
Source Phys.org - Scientific News Websites

DESCRIPTION

During water desalination, membrane distillation (MD) is challenged by the inefficiency of water thermal separation from dissolved solutes, due to its dependence on membrane porosity and thermal conductivity. For instance, existing petroleum-derived membranes have faced major development barriers. In a new report now on Science Advances, Dianxun Hou and colleagues at the interdisciplinary departments of civil, environmental, architectural engineering, materials science and mechanical engineering in the U.S., Norway and China fabricated a robust MD membrane directly from sustainable wood material for the first time.