New technology desalinates water and produces electricity simultaneously

WASHINGTON - Researchers at the University of Colorado Denver College of Engineering and Applied Science have discovered a way to simultaneously desalinate water, produce hydrogen and treat wastewater.

“Ships and their crews need energy generated on-site as well as fresh drinking water. Thus, the Navy is very interested in both low energy desalination and renewable energy production,” said Zhiyong (Jason) Ren.

Ren and his team with the University of Colorado Denver discovered, after six months from the initial hypothesis to completion, that they could produce hydrogen gas, which is collectable and storable, thus making improvements in the technology of water purification.

Water purification requires a lot of energy, while utility companies need large amounts of water for energy production.

Next steps for Ren and his team will include using real wastewater to test the efficiency as well as optimizing the reactor configuration to improve system performance.

“This discovery is a milestone for our new research group,” said Ren.

“We are very excited about our findings and will continue working to improve the technology.”

The study was published in Environmental Science and Technology (DOI: 10.1021/es1022202) on December 1. (ANI)