Advanced Salt Removal from Dye-house Effluent by Ultra-thin Graphene Based Membrane

The major objective of this project is to develop a high performance, durable, anti-fouling advanced membrane based on graphene and its derivatives (e.g. graphene oxide) for salt removal from dye-house effluent, presumably via a cost-effective approach.

In the first place, graphene oxide (GO) will be produced in large quantity using a modified Hummers' method. With the optimization of the precursor materials, the cost of GO synthesis can be reduced significantly which is suitable for industrial scale production. The GO will then be made into highly concentrated inks efficiently using a special-tailored hydrogel absorption approach. Then the as-obtained GO inks will be combined with high-speed printing techniques to make ultra-thin graphene based membranes.

Water flux and salt rejection of the graphene membranes is further optimized through appropriate adjustment to the spacing between the stacking graphene layers and the pore alignment and pore size in the graphene thin layer. Sophisticated fabrication processes including surface modification, cross-linking, composing and mixing also enhance durability and anti-fouling property on the membrane.

The advanced anti-fouling graphene membrane with both high water flux and salt rejection can significantly increase the waste water treatment efficiency of the textile mills and also reduce the energy consumption.