July 21, 2022
Introduction:
Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/959475(EurekAlert) Scientists have known since the 1950s that it is theoretically possible to generate electricity through the movement of water at the place where seawater and river water meet. This type of technology is called osmotic power generation or blue energy. Though prototypes of this technology have been built, research is still underway to prove that this technology is scalable and reliable.
In a literature review published on May 28 in Nano Research Energy ( https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.265 ... 2.9120008 ), researchers looked at the different types of materials that can be used in osmotic power generation.
“There are several locations on the earth where the seawater and river water are naturally mixed. The seawater contains positively charged ions such as sodium ions and negatively charged ions such as chloride ions. Utilizing electrostatically charged membranes that are selective to one ion species while blocking the other can generate electricity that can power electronic devices or be stored in batteries,” said paper author Javad Safaei, a researcher at the Centre for Clean Energy Technology at the University of Technology Sydney in Sydney, Australia.