The objective of the NAWADES project is the development of a membrane system for seawater desalination that does not suffer from organic fouling and inorganic scaling.
Reduced efficiency in reverse osmosis membranes, are mainly due to two effects:
· Concentration polarization, caused by a concentration increase near the membrane surface;
· Membrane fouling caused by organic solutes and microbial effects.
These two main topics are the focus of the NAWADES, namely through the reduction of concentration polarization and organic fouling.