I-Corps: Bio-inspired membranes

University Of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington KY

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project focuses on new technologies for water treatment. Tap water from a central water treatment facility or a local well is generally of high enough quality to drink without further treatment; however, there are geographic areas where the water is either permanently or temporarily unsafe. Other needs include addressing water aesthetics that are not at unsafe levels but are not desired by the consumer. To enter this market a product needs to be differentiated and cost sensitive. In this project the team we will focus on evaluating the competitive landscape, identifying commercialization partners, and understanding the consumer needs in industrial and household application. This I-Corps project uses a new method to cast bio-inspired water treatment membranes. Aquaporin, a highly selective water channel protein, has received worldwide attention because of its potential to form aquaporin-based membranes with high flux and rejection for water treatment. The high water permeability and selectivity of aquaporins makes aquaporin-based biomimetic membranes attractive for water purification. In this project pores or channels specifically engineered in a pore-spanning biomimetic membrane to maximize water transport efficiency, compared to conventional polymer membrane filters. These bio-inspired membranes display higher contaminant rejection efficiency and significantly improved backflush cleaning effectiveness as compared to traditional membranes. This has the potential to decrease operating costs and increase the life of the membrane.