Carbon nanotube enhanced membrane distillation for simultaneous generation of pure water and concentrating pharmaceutical waste

Carbon nanotube enhanced membrane distillation (MD) is presented as a novel waste concentration method that also generates pure water. In a carbon nanotube immobilized membrane (CNIM), the CNTs serve as sorbent sites, and provide an additional pathway for enhanced water vapor transport. Enrichment effect and mass transfer coefficients using CNIM were as much as 421% and 543% greater than in membranes without the nanotubes. As compared to the original water, the purified water contained less than 10% of residual organics.

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► CNIM is an effective means to remove and concentrate trace pharmaceuticals from water.
► CNIM was significantly more effective than conventional membrane distillation (MD).
► CNIM requires significantly less energy to achieve the same levels of flux.
► MD also generated pure water in the process of concentrating waste.