A $16 device could provide a family of five with clean water for an entire year
About 780 million people—a tenth of the world’s population—do not have access to clean drinking water. Water laced with contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, lead and arsenic claims millions of lives each year. But an inexpensive device that effectively clears such contaminants from water may help solve this problem.
Thalappil Pradeep and his colleagues at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras developed a $16 nanoparticle water filtration system that promises potable water for even the poorest communities in India and, in the future, for those in other countries sharing the same plight. Although cheap filtration systems have been developed previously, this is the first one to combine microbe-killing capacity with the ability to remove chemical contaminants such as lead and arsenic. Because the filters for microbes and chemicals are separate components, the system can be customized to rid water of microbial contaminants, chemical contaminants or both, depending on the user’s needs.
In a report published yesterday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Pradeep and his collaborators explain that the microbe filter relies on silver nanoparticles embedded in a cage made of aluminum and chitosan, a carbohydrate derived from the chitin in crustacean shells. The cage blocks macroscale water contaminants as well as protects the nanoparticles from sediments that would otherwise accumulate on their surfaces, thereby preventing them from releasing microbe-zapping ions.
The team used nanoparticles that release iron- and arsenic-trapping ions to make its chemical filter. But Pradeep notes that the “cage” technique can be used with other nanoparticles to target contaminants such as mercury.
The materials are added one by one into water and self-assemble into small sheets that resemble clay (see image below). These sheets are the “cages” that then hold on to the silver nanoparticles. Production requires no electricity because the claylike filters are made at room temperature. Every liter of water used to make the material goes to filtering 500 liters of water. “This is a room-temperature green synthesis, which means it can be deployed in any part of the world,” Pradeep says.
The Latest Bing News on:
Nanotech Filter
- Renmar Supply Makes New Anti-Viral N95 Respirator Masks Available Internationallyon January 26, 2021 at 7:01 am
Renmar Supply, LLC, of Beverly Hills, CA, is pleased to announce a major breakthrough in N-95 Respirator mask technology. The new, patented, CDC and FDA approved, NIOSH registered, N95 Anti-Viral ...
- Local firm’s filtration technology among national contest winnerson January 26, 2021 at 4:01 am
A pair of Waterloo Region firms are among the winners of a national competition aimed at developing a homegrown supply of essential products to combat COVID-19 and address future challenges. The ...
- Researchers develop new graphene nanochannel water filterson January 21, 2021 at 1:13 pm
The channels between graphene sheets are horizontal, which is not great for applications like water filtration. But researchers from Brown University have shown a way to flip those channels to make ...
- New Organic Face Mask Tests Down to 0.1 Microns at 99% Efficiency Surpassing All Non-medical Masks on the Marketon January 21, 2021 at 4:42 am
Unicorn Breathing Mask's new groundbreaking filter innovation tests down to 0.1 microns at 99% efficiency surpassing all non-medical ...
- They develop in Spain a mask that claims to deactivate coronavirus in two hourson January 20, 2021 at 12:31 pm
In Spain, the company dedicated to the development and manufacture of nano materials microstructures, Bioinicia, the hand of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) of Spain and signature ...
- Graphene based face mask uses novel technology to inhibit viruseson January 19, 2021 at 8:14 pm
A face mask that utilizes graphene technology has proven efficacy for capturing viruses at a level comparable with surgical masks and then to inhibit the capture virions through the activity of the ...
- Live from CES: Security related tech trends - Part 2on January 19, 2021 at 1:08 pm
Editor’s note: The following article is the second in a two-part series from SecurityInfoWatch.com (SIW) contributor Steve Surfaro examining security-related tech on display during this year’s ...
- Air Filtration Media Market Witnessing Stunning Growth by Forecast Period 2026 | Impacts of COVID-19on January 19, 2021 at 6:44 am
According to a new report published by Allied Market Research titled Air Filtration Media Market by End User Application Media Usage Ratings Business Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast ...
- Groundbreaking New One-Step Process for Creating Self-Assembled Metamaterialson January 16, 2021 at 11:50 pm
These materials can have unique properties which make them ideal for a variety of applications from optical filters and medical devices to aircraft soundproofing and infrastructure monitoring. Usually ...
- Addressing stability and nano concerns: Beiersdorf files flurry of patents for UV filter blendson January 15, 2021 at 7:41 am
Personal care major Beiersdorf has developed a collection of alternative UV filter blends for use in cosmetic applications and sunscreens that it says provide increased stability and address nano ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Nanotech Filter
The Latest Bing News on:
Nanoparticle water filtration system
- New Technique to Leverage Graphene Nanochannels for Water Filtrationon January 22, 2021 at 3:50 pm
So, for example, water can pass through, but organic contaminants or some metal ions would be too large to go through. So you could filter those out. Robert Hurt, Study Co-Author and Professor, School ...
- After earth, is human body a dumping ground to microplastics?on January 21, 2021 at 10:09 pm
Researchers finding microplastic in the placenta of pregnant women buzzes precursor alarms to life on earth. Plastic has prevailed in every sphere of the planet earth, from deepest trenches in the ...
- Researchers develop new graphene nanochannel water filterson January 21, 2021 at 12:54 pm
"So, for example, water can pass through, but organic contaminants or some metal ions would be too large to go through. So you could filter those out." Proof-of-concept testing demonstrated that water ...
- Gold Nanoparticles as Contrast Agents in X-ray Imaging and Computed Tomographyon January 18, 2021 at 4:00 pm
† The mass of AuNPs delivered per cell was estimated from the reported number of AuNPs per cell, assuming perfectly spherical, monosized AuNPs and the bulk density of gold (19.3 g/cm3).
- Nature of Water Newson January 15, 2021 at 4:00 pm
Jan. 12, 2021 — Most consumers of drinking water in the United States know that chemicals are used in the treatment processes to ensure the water is safe to drink. But they might not know that ...
- In situ measurements of intracellular thermal conductivity using heater-thermometer hybrid diamond nanosensorson January 15, 2021 at 11:41 am
The mean values determined in these two cell lines are both 0.11 ± 0.04 W m −1 K −1, which is significantly smaller than that of water. Bayesian analysis ... (19) have used upconverting nanoparticles ...
- Nanoscale Membranes and the Potential for Cheaper Water Filtrationon January 11, 2021 at 10:17 pm
This result surprised scientists, as a lower volume of water would be expected to filter through thicker membranes. At a 2015 water summit organized by Kumar, the team met with Dow Water Solutions, ...
- SunHydrogen Provides End-of-Year Corporate Updateon December 31, 2020 at 5:00 am
By optimizing the science of water electrolysis at the nano-level, our low-cost nanoparticles mimic photosynthesis to efficiently use sunlight to separate hydrogen from water, ultimately producing ...
- Chemotherapy technique that uses magnetic nanoparticles to heat cancerous cells to more than 104°F while delivering drugs is a THIRD more effective, study showson December 26, 2020 at 1:00 am
Tiny magnetic nanoparticles attach themselves to the cancerous cells of a tumour and also carry the chemotherapy drug. When doctors apply a harmless magnetic field to the area from outside the ...
- A Novel Biomaterial for Osteotropic Drug Nanocarriers: Synthesis and Biocompatibility Evaluation of a PLGA--ALE Conjugateon November 30, 2020 at 4:01 pm
The solvent was partially removed under vacuum and the remaining solution was dialyzed (CelluSep H1 MWCO 2000; M-Medical s.r.l., Cornaredo, Italy) for 48 h against 1 l water, which was changed ...