Shreya Dave
CEO, Via Separations
Shreya Dave is the CEO of Via Separations, working to drive energy efficiency improvements through the manufacturing value chain. She completed her PhD research on graphene oxide membranes, which ultimately led to the founding of Via. Via was recognized as one of C&EN’s 10 Startups to Watch. Shreya was awarded Technology Review’s 35 Innovators under 35 in 2018. She also holds Bachelors and Masters’ degrees from MIT in Mechanical Engineering and Technology & Policy. For fun, she serves on MIT’s Corporate Development Committee, the board of directors for Greentown Labs, and mentors in MIT’s product design and development course.
Nanofiltration Improvements from Graphene Oxide Membranes
Leveraging the material properties of graphene oxide, Via Separations reports on the production of novel nanofiltration membranes. A material with the flexibility of a polymer and temperature tolerance of a ceramic, graphene oxide opens up unique options to the membrane user. Via Separations describes the modification of graphene oxide membranes for a range of advantages including resisting fouling in nanofiltration applications, cleaning at temperatures up to 80 °C for fast removal of foulants, and enhanced salt passage for demineralization. Graphene oxide membranes produced by high volume roll to roll production and integrated into spirals show a nearly 10x increase in the divalent salt passage over polyamide membranes – highly attractive for diafiltration and infant formula applications. Demineralization can occur without further processing (such as electrodialysis), and cleaning time can be slashed by conducting them at high temperatures.