Scientists have created tiny flakes of aluminum oxide, molybdenum sulfide, copper and iron oxide that make water drinkable when exposed to sunlight.
In a study published in the scientific journal still water Last Thursday (18), a group of scientists presented a new disinfectant powder that makes water drinkable when exposed to sunlight. The substance consists of tiny flakes of aluminum oxide, molybdenum sulfide, copper and iron oxide.
According to the researchers, conventional water treatment technologies include chemicals, which can generate toxic by-products, and ultraviolet light, which takes a relatively long time to disinfect and requires a source of electricity.
The new technology works like this: After absorbing photons from sunlight, it acts like a semiconductor/metal junction, allowing the photons to strip away the electrons. The released electrons then react with water, generating hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals. The chemicals formed quickly kill the bacteria by damaging cell membranes.
For the study, the team focused on the bacteria of the species E coli, mix the powder in contaminated water and carry out the disinfection test in sunlight. No live bacteria were detected within 60 seconds.
The specialists involved in the study also point out that in addition to being non-toxic, the powder is also reusable: the iron oxide allows the nanoflakes to be removed from the water with a common magnet, and the team used magnetism to collect the same powder 30 times to treat 30 different contaminated water samples.
The powder could also be useful in wastewater treatment plants that currently use ultraviolet lamps to disinfect treated water, as it can use sunlight to work much faster than UV during the day, which would likely save energy.
Scientists are looking for ways to make water drinkable
In parallel, the filtration system startup PWTech developed a equipment capable of purifying almost 5,760 liters of water per day, eliminating viruses and bacteria. Thus, that water unsuitable for consumption becomes drinkable. The equipment, called PW5660, works with any type of energy.
Source: still water through Stanford News
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Source: Terra
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