The Australia National University (ANU) Invents Seawater Filtration Technology

ANU INVENTS SEAWATER FILTRATION TECHNOLOGY TO ADDRESS GLOBAL WARMING ISSUES:

The Australian National University (ANU) has made a groundbreaking advancement in seawater filtration technology, promising to address global water shortages as the Earth continues to warm. The new seawater filtration method, developed by ANU scientists, is simpler and more cost-effective than existing methods, while effectively removing salt from seawater, ensuring the water remains in liquid form throughout the filtration process. This is critically important as the world faces an escalating water shortage due to global climate change. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, by 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people could face “absolute water scarcity.”

HOW DID DR. TORRES DEVELOP THE SEAWATER FILTRATION METHOD? 

To address the water scarcity crisis, Dr. Juan Felipe Torres, a world-renowned aerospace and mechanical engineer who first proposed desalination technology, explained that the phenomenon behind this technology is called “thermal diffusion” or the “Soret effect,” which was discovered in the 19th century but has not been fully utilised.

He shared: “We revisited thermal diffusion but applied a principle that had never been used before, where the driving force and energy for this process are heat. Thermal diffusion is a phenomenon first detailed by Swiss scientist Charles Soret in the 1850s when he experimented with a 30cm long tube of water that had a colder portion and a hotter portion. He discovered that salt ions gradually moved slowly towards the colder water section.”

To test whether this reaction could be used to desalinate water, researchers pushed seawater through a narrow channel heated from above to 60 degrees Celsius and cooled from below to 20 degrees Celsius. Dr. Torres’ task was to speed up the diffusion process compared to the previous attempt, which took 53 days.

“Our mission was to find ways to optimise the diffusion process.” ANU researchers adjusted the separation conditions to increase the diffusion speed to just a few minutes. “The key was to reduce the channel height from 30cm to 1mm and add more channels, aiming for each time water passes through the channel, its salinity would decrease by 3%,” Dr. Torres explained.

The research received funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Australia’s Science and Technology for Climate Relations (SciTech4Climate) program. The project also received support from the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions (ICEDS). “This project has deployed a solar-powered desalination filtration system to Tonga to test its application for drought-mitigating agricultural strategies,” said Dr. Mona Mahani from ICEDS.

STUDYING AT ANU – BROAD OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN AUSTRALIA:

The Australian National University is Australia’s leading public research university and one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Established in 1946, it is part of the G8 group of top universities in Australia and ranked #1 international university in Australia according to Times Higher Education Rankings 2023.

Three Benefits of Studying at ANU:

1/ Top-Quality Education

The university offers a wide range of programs, including natural sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities, business, and law. Along with modern facilities, including libraries, laboratories, and research centres, the university boasts an outstanding faculty, including many world-leading professors and researchers.

2/ Broad Career Opportunities

ANU ranks #1 for graduate employability (Times Higher Education Global University Employability Rankings, 2023-2024), with an extensive network of corporate partners, including top global companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. This opens up numerous opportunities for ANU students to intern and work at leading companies even during their studies.

3/ Diverse Scholarships

The university offers many scholarship programs for international students, including full scholarships, partial scholarships, and financial aid scholarships. These scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, leadership potential, extracurricular activities, and students’ financial circumstances.

Some Scholarships from ANU:

• A E Ringwood Supplementary Scholarship – Valued at $8,002/year
• ACTION Trust Honours Scholarship – Valued at $5000/year
• Agent-Based Modelling Scholarship – Valued at $27,652/year

We hope this information helps you find your study path in Australia and secure an attractive scholarship at ANU! For more detailed advice on study programs and services at SET EDUCATION, don’t hesitate to contact SET through the chatbox or by calling the hotline at 0909 809 115!