Desalination and wastewater treatment provide important ways to mitigate the problem of water shortage. While a majority of desalination and industrial wastewater treatment systems use thermal separation technologies, the heat exchange and heat recovery in these technologies are un-optimized, leading to high energy consumption. In this project, we aim to test several strategies to improve the energy efficiency of thermal separation systems including using improved heat exchange devices and novel system configurations.
In this project, we successfully synthesized porous titania nanotubes arrays using electrochemical methods, an expertise we acquired in our ERC consolidator project. We tested them as the base materials for heat exchange devices in a custom-made boiling and condensation test module. We found that titania nanotubes arrays had better performance than titanium plate, the commercial heat exchange materials, in several aspects, for example, in condensation heat transfer property. This result demonstrated the promising potential of titania nanotubes arrays for heat exchange devices. We also successfully designed and constructed a technology demonstrator comprising of 14-effects, and tested and proved its long-term robustness. In addition, we engaged in various activity towards licensing of our technology or establishing a startup by discussing with potential partners as well as investment pitches.
The Proof-of-Concept project provides an important and positive demonstration of our novel strategies. The results are helpful in attracting the interest of companies and potential investors in our technology.
