The Technology
Biofilm occurring in membrane systems may cause severe loss of performance and the use of costly cleaning procedures to maintain output and quality. Most strategies are based on offline intensive chemical cleaning that weakens the membrane matrix and consume chemicals and energy.
The high electrical conductivity of CNTs allows the application of a low voltage/moderate current electrical field with the advantage of bacterial repulsion due to electrostatic repulsion of negatively charged bacterial cells and concomitant inactivation of attached cells due to direct or indirect electrically driven-oxidation.
Advantages
- Control and reduce bacterial adhesion and biofilm development that can be implemented and managed while operating the system according to the needs without altering membrane matrix
Applications and Opportunities
- Membranes for micro- and ultra-filtration
- Membrane filtration systems for harsh conditions, such as wastewater pre-filtration and membrane bioreactors
Business Development Contacts