Bottoms up! Clear fresh water is the most valuable natural resource on our planet, and its reserves are limited. Therefore, scientists worldwide pay much attention to the purification and sustainable use of water.
Researchers at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI) do not stand aloof from this research. The project, titled “Development and Usage of Baromembrane Filters Based on Aquaporin,” conceived by the Faculty of Chemical Engineering, was named the winner at the Sikorsky Challenge Festival of Innovative Projects. Some six million hryvnias were allocated for its implementation.
According to project developers, the main purpose of the project is to supply high-quality fresh water to the population, industrial enterprises and agricultural facilities. The proposed plant is primarily designed for the desalination of seawater.
The project has been developed under the supervision of PhD student Valentyna Hrabitchenko, an expert in baromembrane desalination, with the involvement of Dr. Inna Trus, an expert in water desalination. Dr. Viktor Kamayev is responsible for project implementation. The research component of the project is managed by Prof. Mykola Homelia, a recognized expert in water treatment.
The concept of the project revolves around increasing the efficiency of baromembrane desalination by using aquaporin-based membrane filters. The process of baromembrane water purification is electricity-intensive, requiring the frequent replacement of a filter membrane. Although there are many types of these membranes on the market that enable the high efficiency of water desalination, they are too expensive. On the average, the service life of a membrane does not exceed three years. When using membranes with aquaporin, electricity consumption can be reduced by 3-5 times, and membrane filters last twice as long (approximately six years). All of this is supposed to produce a great economic effect.
The process of baromembrane desalination generates the significant volumes of dangerous concentrates. Their disposal in landfills worsens the complicated environmental situation. KPI chemists have developed the technology that enables recycling these concentrates into products that can be used in the production of building materials and fertilizers. This innovative approach will bring additional economic benefits and have a favorable impact on the environment.
Aquaporin entered modern science not so long ago. The Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the discovery of aquaporins was awarded to Peter Agre and Roderick McKinnan in 2003. What exactly is aquaporin, and why does it capture so much attention?
As is known, the outer membrane of a cell is a semipermeable membrane. This means that cell membranes do not allow all substances to pass through them. As recently as the 19th century, it was noticed that cell membranes permit water to pass through them at a higher rate than other solvents. And in the mid-20th century, scientists realized that cells do not just let water pass through their membranes – they literally lift it out of the intercellular medium at an incredible rate. The only thing scientists did not understand was how they did it until Peter Agre discovered special water channel proteins – water channel pores, which he called aquaporins (from Latin aqua and Greek poros – passage, opening). These channels are responsible for water “entry” and “exit” in cells.
Since Agre’s discovery, the number of aquaporin studies has grown like an avalanche. Aquaporins have been found in all living organisms on the planet: animals, bacteria, and even plants. To date, 13 types of aquaporins have been described in mammals alone, differing in structure, location, and function.
The utilization of aquaporin-based membranes in the KPI project promises to revolutionize desalination processes, addressing both economic and environmental concerns.
Source: https://kpi.ua/1534-3