BARC technology for Composite Polyamide Reverse Osmosis membrane for Brackish Water Desalination

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre has developed a technology for providing safe drinking water from brackish and sea water using Reverse Osmosis. Reverse osmosis is an efficient desalination technology brackish water desalination is very common nowadays as most of the surface water available is brackish water. With proper collection and utilization, the reject stream can also be beneficially utilized.

This provides a process for the preparation of thin film based composite polyamide membranes and the procedure to assemble them in commercially usable spiral modules. These membranes are capable of removing dissolved salt to a permissible level along with microbiological contamination with high level of reproducibility from brackish water. The spiral module prepared by this process can be used for domestic level to bigger industrial application.

This technology can be applied for desalination of brackish water, water reuse (in pharma /biotech, waste water, electrocoating, food and beverage industries) and radioactive waste treatment. The TFC membranes in spiral module are capable of removing 90% salinity from brackish water (~feed concentration up to 3000 ppm). There is a potential to use these units for domestic desalination systems.

The technology for Preparation of Composite Polyamide Reverse Osmosis (RO) membrane for Brackish Water Desalination involves various steps:

1. Preparation of casting solution using selected polymer.
2. Preparation of support membrane using casting machine.
3. Thin film coating of Polyamide over support membrane using prepared reagents.
4. Assembling of TFC membranes in spiral module form.

The process is capable of removing dissolved salt to a tolerant level along with contaminant like iron and microbiological contamination with high level of reproducibility from brackish water with up to 3000 ppm salinity. Membrane prepared in this process can be used from small units suitable for domestic level to bigger industrial application.

For further details contact: Bhabha Atomic Research Centre,
Trombay, Mumbai – 400 085 India Telephone:  +91-22-25505050 / 25592000, Email: webmaster@barc.gov.in

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