deSalSea
On 24 June 2025, the international consortium behind the deSalSea project gathered for its first official meeting, marking the launch of an ambitious research initiative aimed at transforming seawater desalination through forward osmosis (FO) technology.
Titled “Novel Sustainable Forward-Osmosis Seawater Desalination Process”, the deSalSea project seeks to develop an integrated, energy-efficient FO system built on biomimetic membranes and stimuli-responsive draw solutions derived from sustainable resources. The ultimate goal is to deliver clean water solutions with significantly reduced energy consumption, lower environmental impact, and minimal reliance on fossil-based materials.
The project brings together a highly interdisciplinary consortium of leading European research institutions:
- University of the Basque Country (EHU), Spain – Radmila Tomovska
- Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), Spain – Ronen Zangi
- Institut Européen des Membranes (IEM-CNRS), France – Mihail Barboiu
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (BRT), Czech Republic – Hynek Roubík
Together, these partners combine expertise in polymer chemistry, membrane engineering, nanotechnology, sustainability assessment, and bioinspired water treatment systems.
Key Objectives
Throughout its implementation, deSalSea will:
- Design novel polyzwitterionic draw solutions with high osmotic efficiency and low regeneration energy requirements.
- Develop advanced artificial water channel (AWC)-based membranes with enhanced salt rejection and water permeability.
- Integrate these components into a lab-scale FO demonstrator system.
- Evaluate performance through life cycle assessments (LCAs) and material circularity metrics, contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).
“Access to clean water is one of the defining challenges of our time. Through deSalSea, we are not only innovating membrane and material science, but we are advancing sustainability by rethinking how we regenerate, reuse, and repurpose the materials used in water treatment. Our contribution lies in ensuring that these innovations are both environmentally and socially responsible.” – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubík
The kick-off meeting provided a platform to align scientific objectives, project milestones, and collaborative strategies. The consortium discussed the work plan, coordination procedures, and upcoming activities for the first year.
The deSalSea project is now officially underway, with strong momentum and shared ambition to create a next-generation desalination technology that is sustainable, scalable, and socially impactful.
Website is coming soon!
Acronym: deSalSea
Network: M-ERA.NET 3
Call: M-ERA.NET Joint Call 2024
Timeline: 2025-2028
CZU Project Coordinator: Hynek Roubík
CZU core team: Hynek Roubík, Viktoriia Chubur
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