Assam: IIT-G develops revolutionary nanofluid for solar-powered desalination

Guwahati: A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati), led by Prof. Tamal Banerjee of the Department of Chemical Engineering, has successfully produced a novel heat transfer fluid based on nanofluids. This innovative technology has the potential to efficiently transfer heat generated using solar power to desalination systems, offering a practical solution to the global water scarcity crisis.

With the world facing an ever-worsening water shortage, the demand for desalination, a process that extracts freshwater from saltwater, has reached a critical level. Traditional desalination methods rely on heat generated by burning fossil fuels, resulting in economic and environmental challenges. The researchers at IIT Guwahati have now harnessed Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), which uses sunlight to generate heat, as a promising solution to this problem.

The primary challenge with using CSP for desalination has been the transfer of generated heat from CSP systems to the desalination plants. Conventional heat transfer fluids like molten salts and synthetic oils have limitations, including high melting points and low heat transfer efficiencies. Additionally, India’s reliance on imported heat transfer fluids has led to increased capital costs. To address these issues, the IIT Guwahati researchers have explored the use of nanofluids, suspensions of nanoparticles in Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES), as a highly efficient alternative.