NanoH2O’s team of membrane scientists and process engineers is pioneering the next generation of membranes for seawater and brackish water desalination, as well as wastewater reclamation.
NanoH2O has developed an advanced reverse osmosis nanocomposite membrane that significantly improves the membrane’s productivity while maintaining acceptable salt rejection levels. By encapsulating nanomaterials into the membrane’s polymer layer, NanoH2O has not only made a more productive membrane, but also enhanced its fouling resistance – and ultimately made water more readily available and affordable.
The Opportunity
Approximately 70% of the earth’s surface is water covered, the vast majority of which is ocean and is unusable without desalination. Freshwater accounts for less than 3% of the total water on the planet, but most of this is locked in the two polar icecaps. Therefore less than 1% of freshwater is readily accessible for human use. 
Reverse osmosis has become the standard approach for desalinating water. Reverse osmosis is a separation process that uses pressure to push salt water through a membrane that holds the salt on one side and allows the pure water to pass to the other side. This is the reverse of the normal osmosis process, which is the natural movement of water from an area of low salt concentration to water containing high amounts of salt until all water has the same salt concentration.
The membranes used for reverse osmosis have a dense barrier layer at the surface where the separation of salt and water takes place. The membrane is designed to allow only water to pass through this dense layer while preventing the passage of salt ions and other impurities. The process of desalinating water through reverse osmosis has historically been both capital and energy intensive. Reverse osmosis technology has matured and efficiency gains have been modest over the last few years.
The productivity of the reverse osmosis membrane, in addition to its anti-fouling properties remains the key drivers to reducing the cost of desalinated water. The industry has seen only incremental improvements in these areas with no significant step change in membrane efficiency.