Published in Nature Water: A Breakthrough in Membrane‑Free Brine Concentration

Summary:

A recent open‑access study published in Nature Water (May 1, 2025) introduces the first experimental demonstration of all‑liquid thermodiffusive desalination and brine concentration using a novel multichannel “Liquid Burgers Cascade”. This method uses temperature gradients in flowing saline liquids to separate salts without phase change or membranes. The research team—led by Shuqi Xu and Dr. Juan F. Torres at ANU and Soret Technologies—showed that this setup amplifies separation up to 40× compared to single‑channel designs, even when treating natural seawater and hypersaline brines Nature+9Nature+9Nature+9.

Importantly, the technology operates on low-grade heat (<70 °C), avoids expensive membranes or chemicals, and consumes as little as 3 Whₑ/m³—about 1% of the minimum energy required for evaporation-based systems. The results highlight significant benefits for applications in remote or off-grid locations with abundant thermal energy but limited electricity access. Overall, this research paves the way toward practical, scalable, and environmentally sustainable water treatment solutions Nature.

Read the full study here

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Published in Nature Communications: A Breakthrough in Membrane‑Free Desal...Published on Research Square: 3D-Printed Thermodiffusion Unlocks Scalable Brine...