Although seawater contains many kinds of minerals, it is difficult to separate one of them. But now, a group of scientists from Australia and the United States have developed a brand-new seawater desalination technology that not only enables the adoption of such technologies. The seawater that comes out can drink and can also collect lithium ions that can be used for battery production.
The key to this technology is the metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which have the largest internal surface area of any known material. In theory, such a material can cover a football field with one g of light and its complex internal structure can Making MOFs the perfect target for capturing, storing, and releasing molecules. Recent studies have found that this material enables MOFs to be used in carbon sponges, high-precision chemical sensors, and urban water filters.
The most commonly used water filtration technology today is the reverse osmosis membrane, and its principle is quite simple: The pores of the membrane allow water molecules to pass but not for most pollutants. However, a major problem with this technology is that it needs to be relatively high. The pressure will pressure the water to go.
But MOF membranes are more selective and efficient, and researchers from Monash University, CSIRO and the University of Austin have developed such a membrane inspired by the 'ion-selective' , Which allows specific ions to pass through. In addition, this membrane does not require the same strong external forces as reverse osmosis membranes.
In addition to clean drinking water, MOF membranes collect lithium ions. The good news is the birth of MOF membranes, due to the high lithium demand in the world for electronics and batteries, and the seawater's abundance of lithium ions .
In addition, this technology will also be applied to the filtration of industrial waste water.
The study was published in Science Advances magazine.
