The fast-evolving world of nanotechnology is captivating researchers working on state-of-the-art water desalination technologies. Rapid developments have been reflected in a dramatically increasing number of scientific investigations into the manipulation of nanomaterials in various desalination technologies.
With water demand rising around the world, the revolution in the use of desalination technology using carbon nanotube (CNT) materials to mitigate these concerns, in particular energy issues, seems a viable option.
In this context, this review article by researchers at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia provides an insight into the utilisation of CNTs to heighten the performance of the available seawater and brackish water desalination technologies in a holistic manner.
This paper – opening a special issue of Desalination on New Directions in Desalination – outlines the transport properties and chemical functionalities of this novel material to potentially facilitate excellent flux of water transport and salt rejection.
Based on computational and experimental work over the past decade, a detailed description of current knowledge relevant to the exploitation of CNTs in desalination is highlighted. Current hurdles and future challenges related to this technology are then addressed.
With novel properties come new opportunities for technological and commercial development. The applications of CNTs in desalination have been demonstrated, and it is anticipated that the use of CNTs in desalination holds great promise.