New membrane to separate Oil and Water developed by IIT Guwahati
A team of researchers at IIT Guwahati have developed two new and distinct membranes which can be used for separating oil and water. These membranes can operate even in harsh conditions.
What has happened?
- A team of researchers from the Department of Chemistry, IIT Guwahati have developed new and improved membranes that can be used for separating oil and water.
- The membranes have the unique tendency of being super-water repellent in the air and super-oil repellent in the water and thus can be used to separate even the most complex mixtures of oil and water.
- The researchers at IIT Guwahati investigated the membrane under a variety of conditions like varying pH and salinity and found that the membrane can work well even in extreme conditions.
- The membranes rely on the principle of bio-mimicry.
- These membranes can find applications in developing special surfaces which can be used for anti-biofouling coatings, for oil-water separation in industrial purposes and for the treatment of oil spills.
What is bio-mimicry?
- Bio-mimicry is the process in which the design and production of materials, structures, and systems are accomplished by taking inspiration from biological entities and processes.
