Treatment of Water using Graphene Oxide Membrane

Abstract

Globally, the problem of fresh water scarcity has continued to escalate. Water is one of the Earth’s most abundant resources, covering about three-quarter of the planet’s surface. One of the most powerful techniques to increase the availability of fresh water is desalination. Searching for more efficient, low-energy-consumption and more economic ways of desalination processes should be the highest priority on the research agenda. The best results are being obtained by using graphene oxide (GO)-assisted membranes in desalination applications. GO’s abundant functional groups, including epoxide, carboxyl and hydroxyl, provide functional reactive sites and hydrophilic properties. The membrane, with a thickness of a few Nanometers, has been applied recently in pressurized filtration, which is an ideal method for the application of desalination membranes. The multi-layer GO membrane have a unique architecture and superior performance that enable the development of noble desalination membrane technology. With good mechanical properties, they are easily fabricated and have the ability to be industrially scaled up in the future. Our project utterly deals with the design and development of wastewater treatment technology. Initially grasping various samples from various water sources like sea, ground and industrial effluents discharge points, has led us to the awareness of the value of pH, TDS, amount of hardness and alkalinity of the water. A simple and common process of membrane separation can be opted for desalination process. The equipment can be constructed by using Non-hazardous waste and the membrane is prepared by using chemical methods.