Current heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, which often come with dehumidifiers, are not particularly energy efficient, using around 76% of the electricity in commercial and residential buildings. A research group led by Dr. Hae-Kwon Jeong has described an organic material, called polyimides, that uses less energy to dry air. Using polyimide-based dehumidifiers can bring down the price of HVAC systems.
“In this study, we took an existing and rather robust polymer and then improved its dehumidification efficiency,” said Jeong. “These polymer-based membranes, we think, will help develop the next generation of HVAC and dehumidifier technologies that are not just more efficient than current systems, but also have a smaller carbon footprint.”
When Jeong’s team tested their enhanced material for dehumidification, they found that their polyimide membrane was highly permeable to water molecules. In other words, the membrane was capable of extracting excess moisture from the air by trapping it in the percolation channels. The researchers noted these membranes could be operated continuously without the need for regeneration since the trapped water molecules leave from the other side by a vacuum pump that is installed within a standard dehumidifier.
“This is a new approach to improve the property of a polymer for dehumidification, and a lot more optimizations need to be done in order to further enhance the performance of this membrane,” said Jeong. “But another key factor for engineering applications is it has to be cheap, especially if you want the technology to be reasonably affordable for homeowners. We are not there yet but are certainly taking strides in that direction.”
FEATURED RESEARCHER
Dr. Hae-Kwon Jeong
- Professor
- McFerrin Professor