NTU filters out Nano Sun

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has unveiled multifunction water filtration membrane technology developed by its spin-out Nano Sun. 

The technology is both more cost effective and more efficient than currently available polymer membranes. The new membrane lasts twice as long and is very hard to break. It also has both anti-bacterial and anti-biofouling properties. On top of this, it increases the water flow rate by at least ten times compared to current technology. Traditional polymer membranes are a problem for the industry as they tend to clog up with the waste removed from the water.

Much of the membrane’s groundbreaking advances are made possible through the Shanghai spin-out’s patented titanium dioxide nanotechnology. These nanoparticles are responsible for killing bacteria and for breaking down organic compounds with a chemical reaction caused by sunlight, specifically ultraviolet light. Titanium dioxide’s properties are well-known, and the material is already commonly used in sunscreen. Materials that do not decompose can be burned off the membranes in a 700 degree Celsius oven.

Nano Sun has signed contracts with Indonesian company PT Pelaksana Jaya Mulia and is in talks with several regional water agencies and multinational corporations.

Darren Sun, inventor of the technology and associate professor at NTU’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, said: “With more of the world’s population moving into urban cities and generating more wastewater, there is a real need for cost-effective technology. Traditional polymer-based water filtration membranes are faced with issues such as fouling and high breakage, while the developing countries with high industrial output are generating wastewater which is increasingly harder to treat. What the world needs – and what we have developed – is a breakthrough technology which can turn large volumes of polluted or untreated water into drinking water quickly, safely and at a fraction of the cost.”