Water

Remote communities often face significant challenges accessing clean water and reliable energy. We partner with island and northern communities to leverage local resources that can improve water and energy infrastructure.

More Info:

J. Maisonneuve, P. Pillay, and C. B. Laflamme, “Osmotic power potential in remote regions of Quebec,” Renewable Energy 81 (2015).

Thermal energy is abundant and available from a variety of renewable sources (e.g. solar, ocean thermal, geothermal, etc.). We study how heat can be used to efficiently drive desalination and water purification.

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S. Khanmohammadi, F. Caragay, Y. Yoon, and J. Maisonneuve, "Minimizing the thermal energy use of membrane distillation with real-time operational controls," Desalination 621 (2026).

S. Khanmohammadi, S. Yagnambhatt, D. DelVescovo, and J. Maisonneuve, "Thermally driven reverse osmosis: Thermodynamics of a novel process that uses heat for desalination and water purification," Desalination 613 (2025).

S. Yagnambhatt, S. Khanmohammadi, and J. Maisonneuve, "Reducing the specific energy use of seawater desalination with thermally enhanced reverse osmosis," Desalination 573 (2024).

Tremendous amounts of renewable energy are available from salt gradients created when rivers flow to sea. We have worked extensively on improving the efficiency of osmotic power systems for harnessing this energy.

More Info:

S. Yagnambhatt, S. Khanmohammadi, and J. Maisonneuve, "Demonstration of a real-time maximum power point tracker for salt gradient osmotic power systems," Applied Energy 376 (2024).

J. Maisonneuve and S. Chintalacheruvu, “Increasing osmotic power and energy with maximum power point tracking,” Applied Energy 238 (2019).

J. Maisonneuve, C. B. Laflamme, and P. Pillay, “Experimental investigation of pressure retarded osmosis for renewable energy conversion: Towards increased net power,” Applied Energy 164 (2016).