difficulties that would affect the process potential. The major problem in commercializing nanoporous desalination is the synthesis of nanoporous membranes with
perfect pore size and distribution while maintaining its structural integrity. Increasing number of pores and improper pore distribution restrain the mechanical stability
of the membrane and prevail as problems which need to be addressed by carrying out
extensive research. Recent techniques like oxygen plasma etching and copolymer
templating are stated to be highly capable in piercing precisely positioned highdensity nanopores in membranes which would help in increasing the efficiency of
this technique. For a decade, research works focusing on synthesizing membranes
with functionalized nanopores with novel components that enhance both salt rejection and flow rate are major areas of interest in the domain of nanoporous desalination. Future works aim to design membranes that continuously remove the salt that
concentrates on the feedside at high permeation rate which prevents membrane
fouling. On a practical perspective, we should also consider that the presence of
organic and inorganic contaminants in seawater may hinder the efficiency of process. Thus the modification of membrane composition and pore size can assist in
preventing membrane incapacitation due to contaminants and may also aid in their
removal (Fig. 4.16).
4.13 Conclusion
This review gives a detailed insight on nanoporous desalination which is one of the
efficient technologies, showing desalination over 99% based on computational
simulation. This paper provides a comprehensive elucidation of the evolution of
desalination technologies, advanced synthesis methods involved in the generation of
nanoporous membranes, and parameters that influence the efficiency of nanoporous
desalination. Membranes perforated with nanometer-sized pores serve as potentially
efficient separation membranes than other conventional technologies due to their
higher mechanical and chemical stability and higher water flux. Currently, research
works focus on enhancing the characteristic nature of the membrane in order to
achieve high selectivity meanwhile maintaining equivalent productivity and preserving the performance. Despite the computational simulation results, the real-world
implementation of this method requires further research works that modify the
technology to withstand the practical difficulties that would affect the process
potential. Future works focusing on extending the potential of this method to treat
Table 4.1 (continued)
S. no. Patent number
Title
Description
membrane has potential application in fields such as filtration,
catalysis, bacteria resistance,
and surface-enhanced Raman
158
J. Ganesan et al.
perfect pore size and distribution while maintaining its structural integrity. Increasing number of pores and improper pore distribution restrain the mechanical stability
of the membrane and prevail as problems which need to be addressed by carrying out
extensive research. Recent techniques like oxygen plasma etching and copolymer
templating are stated to be highly capable in piercing precisely positioned highdensity nanopores in membranes which would help in increasing the efficiency of
this technique. For a decade, research works focusing on synthesizing membranes
with functionalized nanopores with novel components that enhance both salt rejection and flow rate are major areas of interest in the domain of nanoporous desalination. Future works aim to design membranes that continuously remove the salt that
concentrates on the feedside at high permeation rate which prevents membrane
fouling. On a practical perspective, we should also consider that the presence of
organic and inorganic contaminants in seawater may hinder the efficiency of process. Thus the modification of membrane composition and pore size can assist in
preventing membrane incapacitation due to contaminants and may also aid in their
removal (Fig. 4.16).
4.13 Conclusion
This review gives a detailed insight on nanoporous desalination which is one of the
efficient technologies, showing desalination over 99% based on computational
simulation. This paper provides a comprehensive elucidation of the evolution of
desalination technologies, advanced synthesis methods involved in the generation of
nanoporous membranes, and parameters that influence the efficiency of nanoporous
desalination. Membranes perforated with nanometer-sized pores serve as potentially
efficient separation membranes than other conventional technologies due to their
higher mechanical and chemical stability and higher water flux. Currently, research
works focus on enhancing the characteristic nature of the membrane in order to
achieve high selectivity meanwhile maintaining equivalent productivity and preserving the performance. Despite the computational simulation results, the real-world
implementation of this method requires further research works that modify the
technology to withstand the practical difficulties that would affect the process
potential. Future works focusing on extending the potential of this method to treat
Table 4.1 (continued)
S. no. Patent number
Title
Description
membrane has potential application in fields such as filtration,
catalysis, bacteria resistance,
and surface-enhanced Raman
158
J. Ganesan et al.