LUNA INNOVATIONS INCORPORATED — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 09

Description

In the United States, desalination and membrane technologies are used to augment municipal water supply, produce high-quality industrial water supplies, and reclaim contaminated supplies. Since the electricity expenses represent one-third to one-half of the operating cost of many desalination technologies, the energy intensity raises concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and the usefulness of these technologies for climate change adaptation. Those locations far away from main transportation routes, suffering from water shortages are also short of conventional energy resources and cannot afford expensive fossil fuels. Therefore, new technical solutions need to be developed.The solution:A nanophotonics enhanced direct solar membrane distillation (NE-DSMD) process for desalination and purification of water in the remote or isolated communities will be developed based on Luna’ advanced photothermal technique. NE-DSDM technique aims to overcome the disadvantages in the traditional membrane distillation process, including the temperature polarization, heat loss through brine discharge, and feed temperature drop across the membrane module, and to lower the energy consumption and improve water production rate.The work:In Phase I program, the feasibility of nanophotonics enhanced direct solar membrane distillation system and process that uses advanced nanotechnology for the desalination of seawater will be demonstrated. Based on the 3-D modeling results, NE-DSMD unit will be designed. EN-DSMD system for the desalination will be established and evaluated. A pilot EN-DSMD unit will be designed for the Phase II performance.The benefits:NE-DSMD process provides a solution for arid, water-scarce regions that also benefit from sunny climates. It can be run without electricity with improved efficiency, and can be operated intermittently without causing damage to the membrane module. Beyond the obvious water desalinization and purification applications, the advanced photothermal coating could also be used in any process that relies on sunlight to generate heat.Key words:Surface Plasmon, nanophotonic, photothermal, membrane distillation, desalination, solar energy, titanium nitride, nanomaterials, composite coating.