As a partner in the EU-funded AQUASOL project, the University of Manchester is attempting to address the world’s water shortage by using desalination driven by renewable energy.
One of the most important ways to address the growing worldwide problem of water scarcity is to desalinate brackish and saltwater. However, because of their high initial prices and energy demands, desalination methods have not yet been widely adopted. Furthermore, fossil fuels are used in modern desalination systems, which raises greenhouse gas emissions.
The EU-funded project AQUASOL aims to solve these issues by assembling a multidisciplinary team of seven partners from six nations to investigate and create novel ways to support the green transition in desalination operations. In order to accomplish this, the consortium will create a technical platform that will make it possible to incorporate renewable energy sources into desalination systems and offer innovative approaches to the treatment of wastewater and saltwater.
Manchester researcher Professor Rahul Nair will create graphene-based membranes to more effectively treat brackish and saltwater. The objective is to provide useful enhancements over existing desalination systems by lowering energy requirements and boosting membrane durability.
The initiative began earlier this month, and the partners—which include universities, small and medium-sized enterprises, and research institutions—met in Barcelona to formally launch it.
Advanced Quality Renewable Energy-Powered Solutions For Water Desalination In Agriculture And Wastewater Recycling, or AQUASOL, has a three-year budget of more than €3.6 million. The University of Manchester has joined six other partners, including Aarhus University (Denmark), Ferr-Tech B.V. (Netherlands), farmB (Greece), Strane Innovation (France), and Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias (Spain).
Source : The University of Manchester
