Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : September 03, 2023 - September 06, 2023
Desalination technology to obtain fresh water from seawater is currently attracting attention as a solution to the world's water shortages. This study focuses on membrane distillation (MD) utilizing separation membranes, especially direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). The authors have succeeded in developing a prototype DCMD system and in desalination from 1 wt% brine. In this study, desalination experiments from brine of 3 wt%, a concentration like actual seawater, were conducted, and a theoretical model was used to compare and evaluate the water permeation fluxes. The properties of the membranes used in the experiments were also investigated in combination with the experiments. As a result, 3 wt% brine was successfully desalinated, although the permeation flux was reduced compared to 1 wt% brine. The membranes used in the experiments had uniformly distributed pores with uniform diameters. Therefore, it was inferred that this membrane is suitable for seawater desalination in terms of pore size distribution, although it may not be hydrophobic enough.
