Membrane to Clean Toxic Effluents

• 21 Jun 2019

Recently the scientists at Council of Scientific and Industrial Research- North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST) have developed a ceramic membrane with the help of a mixture of potter’s clay, stone dust and tea waste which can clean toxic effluents.

• The membrane was tested on effluents from a textile unit. It could remove adsorptive dyes from wastewater.
• The study was funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

Applications

• These filters are especially useful in petrochemical processing, where it is not possible to use organic membranes.
• It is capable of discolouring two commonly used dyes - methylene blue and Congo red -from water.
  • Methylene blue is a toxic dye, while Congo red is a known cancer-causing agent.
• Ceramic filters and membranes are commonly used in several sectors like food and beverage, drugs and chemicals, waste recovery and recycling industries.

Properties

• Ceramic membranes can withstand frequent cleaning, harsh operating environments and situations that require continuous flows of material.
• They can also be regenerated over many cycles and used for separation of both aqueous and non-aqueous solutions.
• The newly developed membrane has good thermal and chemical stability.
• The used membrane could also be regenerated by heating at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, without much loss of efficiency.

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

• CSIR is an autonomous research and development body established by the Government of India in 1942.
• It covers a wide spectrum of science and technology –from radio and space physics, oceanography, geophysics, chemicals, drugs, genomics, biotechnology and nanotechnology to mining, aeronautics, instrumentation, environmental engineering and information technology.
• It provides significant technological intervention in many areas with regard to societal efforts which include environment, health, drinking water, food, housing, energy, farm and non-farm sectors.
• CSIR Firsts
  • First to introduce DNA fingerprinting in India.
  • Designed & developed India’s first all-composite aircraft Hansa.
  • Designed and developed India’s first 14-seater plane ‘SARAS’.
  • First to produce baby food from buffalo milk by the name of Amulspray.
  • First to produce the indelible ink used in elections in the country.
  • Completed the first Complete Genome Sequencing of an Indian.
  • First indigenous “Electronic Nose” to detect toxic fumes.