Desalination

Four MIT researchers standing smiling in a lab

Using mechanics for cleaner membranes

J-WAFS-supported researchers employ a mechanical approach to more efficiently clean membranes used for desalination.

May 10, 2021

Innovations in water accessibility

Mechanical engineering senior Flora Klise is pursing her passion for water research and preparing to launch a career in water innovation.

May 5, 2021

Close-up photo of Orisa Coombs on MIT's campus

Reducing inequality across the globe and on campus

Through research and student leadership, senior Orisa Coombs is tackling problems including water scarcity, food insecurity, and racial injustice.

February 7, 2021

Research by John Lienhard and Kishor Nayar to understand how the surface tension of seawater changes with temperature and salinity has now become an international standard.

MIT research on seawater surface tension becomes international guideline

Work by Professor John Lienhard and Kishor Nayar SM ’14, PhD ’19 was recently recognized by the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam.

July 9, 2020

Francesca O’Hanlon of Blue Tap delivered a pitch at the Water Innovation Prize on April 22. Her team won first place with a novel water chlorinating system that makes clean water affordable and accessible for users without existing access to healthy water supplies.

MIT student leaders go virtual with global startup competitions

In the face of Covid-19, the MIT Water Club and the MIT Food and Agriculture Club take their signature innovation prizes online.

May 15, 2020

Tests on an MIT building rooftop showed that a simple proof-of-concept desalination device could produce clean, drinkable water at a rate equivalent to more than 1.5 gallons per hour for each square meter of solar collecting area.

Simple, solar-powered water desalination

System achieves new level of efficiency in harnessing sunlight to make fresh potable water from seawater.

February 6, 2020

A small-scale device, seen here, was used in the lab to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new shockwave-based system for removing radioactive contaminants from the cooling water in nuclear powerplants.

A new way to remove contaminants from nuclear wastewater

Method concentrates radionuclides in a small portion of a nuclear plant’s wastewater, allowing the rest to be recycled.

December 19, 2019

Graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduate UROP students presented their research to members of the MIT community, alumni, and industry representatives at the sixth annual Mechanical Engineering Research Exhibition.

Students present mechanical engineering projects that have global impact

At the sixth annual Mechanical Engineering Research Exhibition, graduate students and postdocs sharpen their communication and presentation skills.

October 29, 2019

Agricultural productivity technologies for small-holder farmers; sustainable supply chain interventions in the palm oil industry; interventions that can provide clean water for cities and surrounding ecosystems — these are just a few of the research topics that grantees are pursuing, supported by the Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) at MIT.

J-WAFS announces seven new seed grants

Nine principal investigators from MIT will receive grants totaling over $1 million for solutions-oriented research into global food and water challenges.

May 29, 2019

Seaside desalination plants like this typically discharge large volumes of concentrated brine back into the sea. MIT researchers have shown that instead, much of this waste could be turned into useful chemicals.

Turning desalination waste into a useful resource

Process developed at MIT could turn concentrated brine into useful chemicals, making desalination more efficient.

February 13, 2019

In this experiment, the new steam-generating device was mounted over a basin of water, placed on a small table, and partially surrounded by a simple, transparent solar concentrator. The researchers measured the temperature of the steam produced over the course of the test day, Oct. 21, 2017.

Sun-soaking device turns water into superheated steam

High-temperature steam might be used in remote regions to cook, clean, or sterilize medical equipment.

December 11, 2018

Based on measurements taken at more than 100,000 wells around the country, the MIT researchers identified these locations, indicated by green dots, that have a combination of a severe shortage of freshwater, and a large reserve of brackish groundwater that could potentially be desalinated and used.

Study finds potential in brackish groundwater desalination

Water-starved areas could find new sources by desalinating water that’s much less salty than seawater.

July 4, 2018

On the roof of the Central Utility Plant building, standing in front of one of the cooling towers, are (left to right): Seth Kinderman, Central Utility Plant engineering manager; Kripa Varanasi, associate professor of mechanical engineering; recent doctoral graduates Karim Khalil and Maher Damak; and Patrick Karalekas, plant engineer, Central Utilities Plant.

New system recovers fresh water from power plants

Technology captures water evaporating from cooling towers; prototype to be installed on MIT’s Central Utility Plant.

June 8, 2018

Seven new projects focusing on solutions to water and food systems challenges, led by 11 faculty principal investigators across five MIT departments, will be funded by the Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab (J-WAFS) with two-year grants of up to $200,000.

J-WAFS awards over $1.3 million in fourth round of seed grant funding

Eleven principal investigators from six MIT departments will receive grants totaling over $1.3 million, overhead free, for research on food and water challenges.

May 25, 2018

While all global climate models show an overall increase in surface temperatures over the coming decades, when it comes down to regional effects on temperature and rainfall there are areas of significant uncertainty.

Workshop explores intertwined future of food production, water, and climate

Choices by consumers and farmers can help limit global warming, but climate change may also curtail those choices in the future.

May 11, 2018

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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