Chemical engineer Kamalesh Sirkar, Ph.D., a professor at New Jersey Institute of Technology and an expert in membrane separation technology, is leading a team of researchers to develop a breakthrough method to desalinate water. Sirkar says that using his technology, engineers will be able to recover water from brines with the highest salt concentrations.
Chemical engineer Kamalesh Sirkar, PhD, a professor at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and an expert in membrane separation technology, is leading a team of researchers to develop a breakthrough method to desalinate water. Sirkar, who holds more than 20 patents in the field of membrane separation, says that using his technology, engineers will be able to recover water from brines with the highest salt concentrations. The Bureau of Reclamation in the Department of Interior is funding the project.
“Our process will work especially well with brines holding salt concentrations above 5.5 percent,” Sirkar says. Currently, 5.5 percent is the highest percentage of salt in brine that can be treated using reverse osmosis.