Development & Deployment of Desalination & Water Purification Technologies

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has developed several water purification and desalination technologies, as a part of its research & development efforts towards the betterment of the society. These technologies or products are backed with robust design concepts and pilot plant studies, which can cover the needs of households, communities, industries and metropolis. Know how of products/components/technologies and services available in the field of water treatment can be broadly classified based on their applications as:

1. Water purification systems for the removal of microorganisms, turbidity & toxic contaminants such as, As, Fe, F etc for producing safe drinking water.
2. Desalination Units for the removal of salinity using membrane process or thermal desalination for producing pure water for drinking or industrial uses.
3. Effluent treatment plants based on UF & RO for recovery of water for reuse or for safe disposal.
4. Units which can operate without electricity (domestic UF) or operating on solar power (UF & RO), which are most suited for remote and rural areas.

The know-how of these technologies/ products has been transferred to several parties for wider deployment in a commercially viable manner and is available on non-exclusive basis through technology transfer. Similarly, services in design, engineering, installation, commissioning, operation and troubleshooting of brackish water & seawater desalination and effluent treatment plants are available through consultancy.

Nanocomposite Ultrafiltration Membrane Device for Domestic Drinking Water Purification with respect to Arsenic, Iron and Microbial Contaminations

Water quality problems exist nearly in all the parts of our country. Micro-biological contamination is a common problem in most of the parts. Specific regions have some predominant geogenic based contaminants like iron in north eastern States and arsenic in the eastern part of the country. BARC has developed a combo domestic water purifier device for removal of microbial contaminations, arsenic and iron without the need of any electricity and overhead water tank. The device is most suitable for rural and slum areas. Know-how of this technology has been transferred to two private parties for commercialization.