Alumnus to Develop Solar-Powered Desalination Module

Bahman Abbasi, an assistant professor at Oregon State University (OSU), is developing a desalination module that is mobile and powered by the sun. Abbasi, who earned his doctorate in mechanical engineering at the UMD, recently won a $2 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy to create an end-to-end system that can produce potable water from a highly concentrated brine.

Abbasi is leading a team of researchers from OSU, UMD, Michigan State University, and the University of Nevada, Reno to advance an economical module that can move around easily and will not need electricity to operate.

“It’s something I had in mind for some years, and pitched it to a number of places,” he said. “The place that was most welcoming was OSU. It demonstrates that the university takes a wider view in looking at how it can contribute to meeting challenges for a sustainable future.”

Computer simulations have demonstrated that the desalination concept has strong potential. “I imagine an off-the-grid, economic desalination system could be of great use to many places, especially certain coastal regions where there is strong demand for clean water,” said Abbasi.

The cooperative project, which is currently underway, is slated to last for three years.

Published October 30, 2018