2017英特尔ISEF获奖作品摘要 环境工程 Intel Finalist Abstract Environmental Engineering

获奖作品基本信息

年份	2017
学科	环境工程 Environmental Engineering
国家/州	United States of America

获奖作品名称

Powerless Desalination: The Development of a Novel PEGylated Membrane to Exploit Ambient Thermal Energy Gradients of the Ocean

获奖作品摘要

Forward Osmosis (FO) is an alternative method of desalination that uses a hypertonic “draw" solution to leach water molecules from a hypotonic "feed" solution such as seawater across a semipermeable membrane. Although FO is a promising technology for low energy desalination, the separation of draw solute from the profited water is a costly complication. No draw solution constituents have yet been discovered that facilitate FO at a lower net expense than traditional Reverse Osmosis and Multistage Flash Distillation. In this study, a modified FO membrane was found to create positive water flux from a seawater feed solution in absence of any free draw solute. Polyoxyethylene, a polymer that was found to create high osmotic pressures, was conjugated, or “PEGylated” to the interior “draw side” polysulfone surface of an FO membrane. The engineered asymmetric membrane demonstrated high enough osmotic pressure to overcome the negative osmotic pressure of the seawater feed solution while lacking any untethered draw solute. Molecular Dynamics computer simulations were used to investigate the apparent contradiction to the laws of thermodynamics. It was discovered that the energy responsible for sequestering water molecules from salt ions originated from an ambient temperature gradient. This bizarre discovery was used in the development of a novel, self-powered desalination cell to purify water with zero moving parts, deriving power from the thermal energy gradient of the ocean. This study is the first to demonstrate the generation of osmotic pressure using a tethered solute. The novel method of desalination has shown potential to universally liberate oceans to the human water supply.

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高中生科研学术活动 英特尔 Intel ISEF 简介

英特尔国际科学与工程大奖赛，简称 "ISEF"，由美国 Society for Science and the Public（科学和公共服务协会）主办，英特尔公司冠名赞助，是全球规模最大、等级最高的中学生的科研科创赛事。ISEF 的学术活动学科包括了所有数学、自然科学、工程的全部领域和部分社会科学。ISEF 素有全球青少年科学学术活动的“世界杯”之美誉，旨在鼓励学生团队协作，开拓创新，长期专一深入地研究自己感兴趣的课题。

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英特尔 ISEF 学术活动详细介绍

英特尔 ISEF 全程指导方案

· 数学 · 物理 · 化学 · 生物 · 计算机 · 工程 ·

学科简介：环境工程 Environmental Engineering

Studies that engineer or develop processes and infrastructure to solve environmental problems in the supply of water, the disposal of waste, or the control of pollution.

Subcategories:

Bioremediation (BIR): The use of biological agents, such as bacteria or plants, to remove or neutralize contaminants. This includes phytoremediation, constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment, biodegradation, etc.

Land Reclamation (ENG): Studies that apply  engineering principles and design techniques to restore land from wetlands, seas, lakes, deserts or mines, through drainage or irrigation to a more productive use or its previous undisturbed state.  This subcategory also includes studies involving the restoration of land that is damaged by natural phenomena, such as erosion, or impaired by industrial and urban processes.

Pollution Control (PLL): Studies that use engineering principles and design to prevent or control air, water and solid waste pollution.

Recycling and Waste Management (REC): Studies involving the extraction and reuse of useful substances from discarded items, garbage, or waste. The process of managing, and disposing of, wastes and hazardous substances through methodologies such as landfills, sewage treatment, composting, waste reduction, etc.

Water Resources Management (WAT): Studies that apply engineering principles and design to the planning, developing, distributing and managing the optimum use of water resources. Studies in this subcategory might include applied surface and groundwater hydrology, forecasting and control of quantity and quality of water or simulation and modeling of water resource systems.

Other (OTH): Studies that cannot be assigned to one of the above subcategories. If the project involves multiple subcategories, the principal subcategory should be chosen instead of Other.