The membranes will be made from plastic but will have transmembrane proteins embedded within them, made possible with new polymers developed at Aston.
The transmembrane proteins enable the selective removal of specific contaminants using transport channels measuring approximately 4-10nm.
Dr Matt Derry, from the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Aston, explained that the new polymers will have a dual function.
“Firstly, they will interact with expressed transmembrane proteins to solubilise them in aqueous media by forming polymer-protein nanodiscs,” he said. “Secondly, specific polymer functionality will ensure that these nanodiscs can be immobilised within macroscopic artificial polymer membranes for water separation applications.”
Dr Derry added that the proteins are expected to be stable for months, or even years.
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“Our aim is to develop a platform technology that can be utilised in a 'plug and play' style depending on the molecular species we wish to selectively remove from water,” he said.
The two-year project has received £165,999 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Project partners include Midlands Innovation and Aquaporin, a multinational membrane specialist headquartered in Denmark.
The first proof-of-concept membrane will demonstrate selective transport using water to isolate pure water.
“We will then increase complexity to selectively transport individual contaminants,” said Dr Derry. “Scalability is something that will come further down the line after proof-of-concept studies, and we will work closely with industrial collaborators to do this.”
Polluted water is a global issue that affects human and animal health, and greatly impacts industries such as agriculture and fishing, recreational activities and transport.
The World Health Organisation estimates that microbiologically contaminated water is responsible for almost 500,000 deaths a year and current filtration technologies are not effective enough.
“Using the 'plug and play' devices we hope to develop, we aim to apply the same principles to selectively remove a wide range of contaminants,” said Dr Derry. “This is the big picture goal for our research activities.”
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