Graphene - distilling and more...

[mountainm]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16747208

Reading this article on the miracle material graphene and it's ability to separate water and alcohol made me wonder if it had other less useful applications. Such as separating salt from water.

Anyhow, interesting article. Thought I'd share.

 

[ex member pyrophil]

I see that, said something about water filtering. Would be good, salt separation even better if no power needed.

 

[Toddy]

Sounds like it might prove to be incredibly useful in many industries, and if it can be used to produce potable water, then it could be one of the most useful materials ever made

Thanks for the link; interesting

cheers,
Toddy

 

[NetFrog]

I think maybe it has uses for industrial purposes, e.g water purification or yes making more potent vodka. However developing a kit to bring with you in the field may prove tricky as currently you need some rather expensive equipment to create the molecule thin layers needed to make it all work.

I'm no scientist but I have read a few articles about it and it is not looking likely that it can be used in anything outside of laboratory conditions for the moment and as for a out of the pocket solution, I fear not. :-(

 

[Toddy]

Maybe, maybe.......but look how fast things move nowadays once production is up and running

No doubt we'll see.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[gliderrider]

Give it ten years and you'd be able to buy milbank bags made from it, I bet you a pound to a pinch of dog do.

 

[Rod Paradise]

Give it ten years and you'd be able to buy milbank bags made from it, I bet you a pound to a pinch of dog do.

The biggest scientific step is proving something possible, things move in leaps and bounds from there. So I think you might just be right, hopefully the patent holders won't make them out of reach to those who will no doubt still need them.

 

[palmnut]

I've been separating alcohol from water for years!

Mostly on a Friday or Saturday night ;-)

Sorry ... couldn't resist ;-)

Peter

 

[TeeDee]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16747208

Reading this article on the miracle material graphene and it's ability to separate water and alcohol made me wonder if it had other less useful applications. Such as separating salt from water.

Anyhow, interesting article. Thought I'd share.

Boom!-Shak-A-Lak!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39482342

A UK-based team of researchers has created a graphene-based sieve capable of removing salt from seawater.
The sought-after development could aid the millions of people without ready access to clean drinking water.
The promising graphene oxide sieve could be highly efficient at filtering salts, and will now be tested against existing desalination membranes.
It has previously been difficult to manufacture graphene-based barriers on an industrial scale.
Reporting their results in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, scientists from the University of Manchester, led by Dr Rahul Nair, shows how they solved some of the challenges by using a chemical derivative called graphene oxide.
Isolated and characterised by a University of Manchester-led team in 2004, graphene comprises a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. Its unusual properties, such as extraordinary tensile strength and electrical conductivity, have earmarked it as one of the most promising materials for future applications.
But it has been difficult to produce large quantities of single-layer graphene using existing methods, such as chemical vapour deposition (CVD). Current production routes are also quite costly.
On the other hand, said Dr Nair, "graphene oxide can be produced by simple oxidation in the lab".
He told BBC News: "As an ink or solution, we can compose it on a substrate or porous material. Then we can use it as a membrane.
"In terms of scalability and the cost of the material, graphene oxide has a potential advantage over single-layered graphene."

 

[OMark]

I just wonder when/if these products will come to market. I've been reading tons of cool graphene applications, but this may be on top.

 

[mountainm]

My Pyschic powers...

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[Wayland]

Can you imagine how useful that would be on a lifeboat...

 

[tombear]

Give it 5 years and they will irrigating the deserts using this technology, if some one like the Saudis throw some money at it the sky's the limit!

ATB

Tom

 

[Bishop]

Can you imagine how useful that would be on a lifeboat...

Or to the Fremen of the deep desert where all water is precious
[video=youtube_share;x354tLs4Wtw]https://youtu.be/x354tLs4Wtw?t=1m47s[/video]

 

[Wayland]

We live in the World of our past futures...

 

[ValeTudoGuy]

Yeah..... And when they do it on a wholesale level, just think of the microorganisms we will be stripping from the Sea.

Can and Should are different concepts....

 

[Robson Valley]

There are saline aquifers in many desert areas, that's a value I'd like to see.
Look at the concentration of gold in sea water. Could be another driver.
Plankton are such huge organisms when compared with sodium and chloride ions, pretreatment could put them back in the water.
If/when the process is scaled up to community levels, what will be done with the waste salt piles?

 

[C_Claycomb]

Chaps, this is lab research and is going to stay that way for many many years, if it ever gets out at all.

Researchers get all excited about new materials, new discoveries, but whether it is used will depend on the engineering, the economics and human nature, not the science. Yes, it might work out better than existing membranes, in which case it may take over in reverse osmosis pumps for things like life rafts, but for communities....it is still a challenge to get them drinking water clean of protozoa, and they are easy to filter out, and we have known how for decades.

The Saudis are more likely to spend money on solar desalination. Mind you, after many announcements of building the worlds largest such site, I can't see any evidence they have actually done so, so it seems a long shot that they would back something so new and far away from scalability.

 

[Robson Valley]

I will walk on the side of shere optimism. The manufacturing puzzles have solutions, already.
The key thing is to watch for venture capital investors to front up. They don't pick stinkers.
The concept may well lead into land reclamation and remediation which is sorely needed.

 

[Wayland]

Interestingly, the reason this has risen again in the media is that they have just overcome one of the big obstacles to manufacture by using "Graphene Oxide", which takes this one step closer to real world production.