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VOL. 1, ISSUE 2 (2025)
Desalination efficiency using nanoporous graphene membranes
Authors
Tarek El-Zayadi
Abstract
Water scarcity
represents a critical global challenge affecting over 2 billion people
worldwide, with desalination emerging as a viable solution to augment
freshwater supplies. Conventional desalination technologies such as reverse
osmosis and multi-effect distillation suffer from substantial energy
consumption and operational costs. This study evaluates the desalination
efficiency of novel nanoporous graphene (NPG) membranes synthesized through
chemical vapor deposition followed by controlled ion bombardment. Membranes
were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, atomic force
microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, confirming pore diameters ranging from 0.8
to 1.8 nanometers with uniform distribution. Desalination performance was
assessed through reverse osmosis experiments using synthetic seawater solutions
across a range of operating pressures (10–60 bar). Salt rejection efficiency
was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, while water flux
was quantified gravimetrically. At 40 bar operating pressure, NPG membranes
achieved 98.7% salt rejection (95% confidence interval: 97.9–99.2%) with water
flux of 42.3 liters per square meter per hour (L/m²/h), compared to commercial
polyamide reverse osmosis membranes achieving 98.2% rejection and 28.6 L/m²/h
flux. Energy consumption was reduced by 31% on a per-unit-volume basis compared
to conventional membranes due to superior water transport kinetics. Fouling
resistance testing demonstrated excellent anti-biofouling properties, with only
8% flux decline after 720 hours of continuous operation using protein-rich feed
solutions. NPG membranes exhibited superior long-term stability, maintaining
96.1% of initial performance after 1000 operating hours. The superior salt
rejection, enhanced water flux, reduced energy requirements, and exceptional
fouling resistance of nanoporous graphene membranes demonstrate significant
potential for deployment in large-scale desalination facilities. This
innovation could substantially reduce freshwater production costs by 23–31%
while decreasing environmental footprint through diminished energy consumption.
Further development focusing on scaled manufacturing and operational
optimization could accelerate commercialization timelines.
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Pages:25-34
How to cite this article:
Tarek El-Zayadi "Desalination efficiency using nanoporous graphene membranes". World Journal of Engineering and Technology, Vol 1, Issue 2, 2025, Pages 25-34
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