The negative effects of climate change are actively manifesting; more extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and diminishing ice caps are examples of this. We also observe increased stress on the global water supply. This, combined with the growing world population, especially in developing countries, emphasizes the growing need for improvements in water recovery technologies. Currently, reverse osmosis (RO) is the leading solution to water desalination. An advanced RO configuration, Batch RO, has already proven to be more energy-efficient as compared to other RO methods. The goal of my project is to demonstrate whether there are cost savings related to deploying this process. Specifically, I will use models and experiments to quantify savings due to diminished membrane scaling.

“I am participating in SuperUROP to perform research in a more structured and long-term manner. To generate useful models and verify them with designs, I hope to leverage computational skills from coursework and product design experience from internships. What excites me about this project is the potential impact on developing countries and the world in a changing landscape.”