(June 8, 2015) Somenath Mitra, distinguished professor of chemistry and
environmental science, was awarded a patent last month for a next-generation
water desalination and purification technology that uses uniquely absorbent
carbon nanotubes to remove salt and pollutants from brackish water and
industrial effluent for reuse by businesses and households.
Mitra’s new carbon nanotube immobilized membrane (CNIM) is
an energy-efficient device designed to filter higher concentrations of salt
than is currently feasible through reverse osmosis, one of the standard
industry processes. It is also used to remove pollutants such as volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) – chemicals routinely used in solvents – from water.
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