DETROIT – Water scarcity is a growing problem around the globe. In Africa alone, it is estimated that about 230 million people will face water shortages by 2025, with up to 460 million living in water-stressed regions.

Water covers 70% of Earth, so it is easy to assume that it will always be abundant. However freshwater is very scarce. One technology designed to help produce more freshwater is desalination plants. Water desalination is the process of removing salt from seawater to produce fresh water that can be processed further and safely used. A desalination plant converts about half of the water it receives into drinkable water.

Although seawater desalination is a well-established way of producing drinking water, it comes with a high energy cost.  Researchers have successfully filtered salt from water for the first time using fluorine-based nanostructures. These fluorous nanochannels are more effective than conventional desalination technologies because they operate quicker, use less pressure, are a more effective filter, and use less energy.

You’ve probably seen how effortlessly wet ingredients slide across a nonstick Teflon-coated frying pan if you’ve ever used one. Fluorine, a lightweight ingredient that is inherently water-repellent, or hydrophobic, is a crucial component of Teflon. Teflon can also be used to enhance the flow of water by lining pipes with it. Associate Professor Yoshimitsu Itoh of the University of Tokyo’s Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, as well as his colleagues, were intrigued by this behavior. Thus, they were inspired to investigate how fluorine pipelines or channels may work on a different scale, the nanoscale.

To read more, click on SCIDaily 

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