Ut-battelle, Inc.

U.S. Geological Survey

Gyoung Gug Jang

Michael Z Hu

Constantinos Tsouris

James William Klett

Ilia N Ivanov

Beth Louise Armstrong

Tommy Joe Phelps

Pooran Chandra Joshi

Ronald S Oremland

Radu Custelcean

Michelle K Kidder

Panos G Datskos

Ji Won Moon

Joanna McFarlane

David E Graham

Abishek Kasturi

Christopher B Jacobs

A solar-thermal vapor-permeation membrane is provided. The solar-thermal vapor-permeation membrane includes a thermally conductive, microporous support layer having a feed surface, and an active separation layer adjacent the feed surface of the support layer. The support layer is capable of absorbing solar-thermal radiation. Utilization of solar energy for a membrane separation process replaces fossil-fuel derived energy with renewable energy as the driving force and does not involve the generation of undesirable greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the solar-thermal vapor-permeation process using the provided membrane is cost effective, energy efficient, and environmentally friendly.

Solar-thermal membrane for dewatering aqueous organic-acid solutions

A high-flux direct air capture (DAC) contactor is provided. The contactor includes stainless steel mesh elements interlaced into a structured packing to increase the effective surface area for a suitable solvent. In laboratory testing, the contactor demonstrated significant potential in driving down the cost of solvent absorption-based DAC due to its high specific surface area and COuptake efficiency, resistance to corrosion, optimal wettability, smaller relative size, and low manufacturing cost. As a potential breakthrough strategy, the highly efficient COcapture contactor can be employed to significantly reduce capital costs in a compact DAC system.

Air-liquid contactor for carbon dioxide direct air capture using aqueous solvent

A solar membrane distillation apparatus includes a housing comprising a light transmitting wall. A solar distillation membrane is positioned in the housing to receive solar radiation transmitted through the light transmitting wall. The solar distillation membrane includes a porous graphitic foam and a coating of a hydrophobic composition on the surface and pores of the graphitic foam. A water chamber within the housing is provided for retaining water adjacent to the solar distillation membrane. A vapor chamber is provided for collecting water vapor distilling through the solar distillation membrane. A condenser is provided for condensing distilled water vapor from the vapor chamber into liquid water. A separation membrane and a method of solar distillation are also disclosed.

Superhydrophobic coated micro-porous carbon foam membrane and method for solar-thermal driven desalination

A method for producing metal chalcogenide nanoparticles, the method comprising: (i) producing hydrogen chalcogenide-containing vapor from a microbial source, wherein said microbial source comprises: (a) chalcogen-reducing microbes capable of producing hydrogen chalcogenide vapor from a chalcogen-containing source; (b) a culture medium suitable for sustaining said chalcogen-reducing microbes; (c) at least one chalcogen-containing compound that can be converted to hydrogen chalcogenide vapor by said chalcogen-reducing microbes; and (d) at least one nutritive compound that provides donatable electrons to said chalcogen-reducing microbes during consumption of the nutritive compound by said chalcogen-reducing microbes; and (ii) directing said hydrogen chalcogenide-containing vapor into a metal-containing solution comprising a metal salt dissolved in a solvent to produce metal chalcogenide nanoparticles in said solution, wherein said chalcogen is sulfur or selenium, and said chalcogenide is sulfide or selenide, respectively. The invention is also directed to metal chalcogenide nanoparticle compositions produced as above and having distinctive properties.

Microbially-mediated method for synthesis of metal chalcogenide nanoparticles

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Knoxville, TN, United States of America

Gyoung Gug Jang