The Permeation of Water through Industrial Membrane Systems. This project aims to understand the permeation of water through commercially relevant non-porous polymeric membranes. Permeation, solubility and diffusivity will be studied in the vicinity of the glass transition temperature to elucidate the changes in free volume that occur through this transition. Non-linear concentration gradients due to anisotropic swelling will be probed using novel laminated membrane systems. Water clustering wil ....The Permeation of Water through Industrial Membrane Systems. This project aims to understand the permeation of water through commercially relevant non-porous polymeric membranes. Permeation, solubility and diffusivity will be studied in the vicinity of the glass transition temperature to elucidate the changes in free volume that occur through this transition. Non-linear concentration gradients due to anisotropic swelling will be probed using novel laminated membrane systems. Water clustering will be evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. Results are proposed to be used to build a new phenomenological model of water permeation that can be used directly by engineers in the design of industrial membrane systems.Read moreRead less
Green Manufacturing of Graphene from Indigenous Natural Graphite and Graphene-based Nanofiltration Membranes. This project aims to investigate radical new approaches to reduce chemical and energy requirements for transformation of indigenous natural graphite to a high-value material graphene. The graphite which will be used is the by-product of the Uley mines of South Australia. Graphene is an atomically thin arrangement of carbon atoms with combinations of remarkable chemical inertness, strengt ....Green Manufacturing of Graphene from Indigenous Natural Graphite and Graphene-based Nanofiltration Membranes. This project aims to investigate radical new approaches to reduce chemical and energy requirements for transformation of indigenous natural graphite to a high-value material graphene. The graphite which will be used is the by-product of the Uley mines of South Australia. Graphene is an atomically thin arrangement of carbon atoms with combinations of remarkable chemical inertness, strength, and massive surface area. Utilising fluid phase dispersed graphene, this project aims to develop scalable and industrially-adaptable methods to manufacture thin yet mechanically robust, inert, fouling-resistant, highly-permeable graphene-based asymmetric membranes. These advanced membranes are expected to find wide application in reducing discharge of mining effluents and recovery of precious metals.Read moreRead less
Novel membranes and membrane structures using electrospinning. This project aims to develop novel membrane support materials and novel membrane structures to enhance chemical separation processes. These materials can be used in desalination and water treatment, reducing the resistance to water flows. In turn, this will reduce the energy required to produce fresh drinking water for Australians, as well as the cost. The approach will also be applied to carbon dioxide capture from flue gas streams, ....Novel membranes and membrane structures using electrospinning. This project aims to develop novel membrane support materials and novel membrane structures to enhance chemical separation processes. These materials can be used in desalination and water treatment, reducing the resistance to water flows. In turn, this will reduce the energy required to produce fresh drinking water for Australians, as well as the cost. The approach will also be applied to carbon dioxide capture from flue gas streams, increasing the energy efficiency of these processes, so that they can become economically viable. The project has the potential to develop localised manufacturing operations to produce these materials, adding value to Australian manufactured products.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100135
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$438,400.00
Summary
Superhydrophobic thermally rearranged membranes for low-energy separation. This project aims to develop thermally rearranged membranes with superhydrophobicity using novel polymer chemistry and nanofibre morphology. Both water flowrate in membrane distillation and gas flowrate in carbon dioxide stripping from solvents will be increased by minimising the water vapor condensation between the nanofibers; resolving shortcomings in current energy-intensive filtration systems. This project will provid ....Superhydrophobic thermally rearranged membranes for low-energy separation. This project aims to develop thermally rearranged membranes with superhydrophobicity using novel polymer chemistry and nanofibre morphology. Both water flowrate in membrane distillation and gas flowrate in carbon dioxide stripping from solvents will be increased by minimising the water vapor condensation between the nanofibers; resolving shortcomings in current energy-intensive filtration systems. This project will provide significant benefits to Australian communities by advancing cost-effective and energy-efficient potable water production and carbon dioxide separation processes for sustainable development. The advanced materials developed can be manufactured locally and will enhance our national capability in modern manufacturing.Read moreRead less
Carbon nanotube fluidic channels for desalination - interplay of nanoscale confinement and electrostatics. Tiny tubes of carbon, ten thousand times smaller than human hair, allow water to pass through at extraordinary speed. This project aims to understand and improve their salt rejection properties using comprehensive experimental and theoretical approaches. This will provide the impetus and knowledge for developing advanced membranes for desalination