DRDO Develops Seawater Desalination Membrane

Why in news?

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed indigenous nanoporous multilayered polymeric membrane for seawater desalination.
• Seawater desalination is a process by which salt and impurities are removed from seawater to make potable fresh water.

Key points:-

• This development has been done by DRDO's Kanpur-based laboratory, Defence Materials Stores and Research and Development Establishment (DMSRDE).
• The membrane has been designed for use in Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships.
• This technology will help solve the problem of saline water.
• It has been developed within a record eight months.

Technical Testing and Acceptance

• DMSRDE in collaboration with Indian Coast Guard has successfully conducted initial technical trials of the desalination plant on the Coast Guard's Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV).
• The test results have been completely satisfactory.
• Indian Coast Guard will grant final acceptance after 500 hours of operational testing.

Future Prospects

• Currently this membrane is in the testing phase on the Offshore Patrol Vessel.
• After some necessary improvements this membrane will prove to be extremely beneficial for seawater desalination in coastal areas.
• This initiative is an important step taken by DMSRDE in line with the resolve of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):

• It is the research and development wing of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
• It was formed in the year 1958.
• It is headquartered in Delhi. • It aims to empower India with cutting-edge defence technologies.