(399h) Algae-Derived Nanoporous Carbons for Membrane Capacitive Deionization of Water

The purification of contaminants from various water sources is crucial for both domestic and industrial applications. High salinity, primarily caused by common inorganic salts of sodium, magnesium, calcium, and iron, poses significant challenges for human consumption and industrial use. Capacitive deionization (CDI) is an innovative desalination technique in which saline water passes through two electrodes under an electric potential, facilitating the transfer of ions from water to the electrode material.

Nanoporous carbon, characterized by its high surface area and hierarchical porosity, is an ideal material for CDI electrodes. In this project, nanoporous carbon was synthesized from algae—a renewable carbon source—using hydrothermal carbonization and physicochemical activation. The resulting material was then characterized for its pore structure, chemical functionalities, and morphology using electron microscopy.

The efficiency of capacitive deionization was evaluated using multivalent cations and anions as salt sources, with variations in flow rates and feed concentrations. To enhance desalination performance, ion-selective membranes were integrated into the CDI system. Finally, mathematical modeling will be applied to correlate CDI performance with the material properties of the synthesized nanoporous carbon.