Chemically modified graphene-like carbon for the production of filtration membranes for industrial waste water purification

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The focus of this project is the development of membranes for the purification of industrial waste water, which will be derived from a graphene-like material that 3M Canada has previously developed. The need for improved filtration methods, specifically those that target the removal of potentially toxic and harmful transition metal contaminants, has never been greater as large-scale industrial processes, for example, hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and the extraction of bituminous sands, are generating immense quantities of contaminated water within Canada's borders. The research enabled by this grant will look at the transformation of 3M Canada's graphene-like material into chemically modified graphene and graphene-oxide filtration membranes with tunable porosities. This work will help 3M Canada design a new line of filtration membranes for distribution to the Canadian and global markets, where different membranes (with varying porosity) will be incorporated into products depending on the contaminants present in various industrial waste water streams. The proposed research will occur at the University of Western Ontario and within the laboratories of 3M Canada in London, Ontario.