Solar-powered sterilization technology supported by Gates Foundation
Rice University nanotechnology researchers have unveiled a solar-powered sterilization system that could be a boon for more than 2.5 billion people who lack adequate sanitation. The “solar steam” sterilization system uses nanomaterials to convert as much as 80 percent of the energy in sunlight into germ-killing heat.
The technology is described online in a July 8 paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition. In the paper, researchers from Rice’s Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP) show two ways that solar steam can be used for sterilization — one setup to clean medical instruments and another to sanitize human waste.
“Sanitation and sterilization are enormous obstacles without reliable electricity,” said Rice photonics pioneer Naomi Halas, the director of LANP and lead researcher on the project, with senior co-author and Rice professor Peter Nordlander. “Solar steam’s efficiency at converting sunlight directly into steam opens up new possibilities for off-grid sterilization that simply aren’t available today.”
In a previous study last year, Halas and colleagues showed that “solar steam” was so effective at direct conversion of solar energy into heat that it could even produce steam from ice water.
“It makes steam directly from sunlight,” she said. “That means the steam forms immediately, even before the water boils.”
Halas, Rice’s Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, professor of physics, professor of chemistry and professor of biomedical engineering, is one of the world’s most-cited chemists. Her lab specializes in creating and studying light-activated particles. One of her creations, gold nanoshells, is the subject of several clinical trials for cancer treatment.
Solar steam’s efficiency comes from light-harvesting nanoparticles that were created at LANP by Rice graduate student Oara Neumann, the lead author on the PNAS study. Neumann created a version of nanoshells that converts a broad spectrum of sunlight — including both visible and invisible bandwidths — directly into heat. When submerged in water and exposed to sunlight, the particles heat up so quickly they instantly vaporize water and create steam. The technology has an overall energy efficiency of 24 percent. Photovoltaic solar panels, by comparison, typically have an overall energy efficiency of around 15 percent.
When used in the autoclaves in the tests, the heat and pressure created by the steam were sufficient to kill not just living microbes but also spores and viruses. The solar steam autoclave was designed by Rice undergraduates at Rice’s Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen and refined by Neumann and colleagues at LANP. In the PNAS study, standard tests for sterilization showed the solar steam autoclave could kill even the most heat-resistant microbes.
The Latest Bing News on:
World Wide Web
- Unlocking the World Wide Web: Surfshark’s Journey to Secure and Accessible Interneton April 29, 2024 at 10:32 pm
In today’s digital age, where online privacy and accessibility are becoming increasingly important, virtual private networks (VPNs) have emerged as essential tools. Among the sea of VPN providers, ...
- Do you love to read but the world wide web has turned your brain into fluff? First Dog on the Moon is here to helpon April 26, 2024 at 12:19 am
Why not become a smug reader of actual books once more? Use these handy hints Sign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are published Get all your needs met at the First Dog shop if ...
- World Wide Web of Spiderson April 15, 2024 at 5:00 pm
The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we’ve aimed “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” as our founder ...
- Looking back at the chip that changed how we accessed the World Wide Web, 30 years onon March 30, 2024 at 5:01 pm
It's a far cry from the buttery smooth connections we have grown used to today – but indeed our our first interfacing with the World Wide Web was through a dial-up connection that boasted ...
- From AI assistants to Big Tech breakup: World Wide Web inventor's top predictions as it turns 35on March 12, 2024 at 12:18 am
The World Wide Web officially turns 35 Tuesday, marking a major milestone in the development of modern technology. Tim Berners-Lee is credited with inventing the World Wide Web in 1989 while ...
- The Internet gives rise to the World Wide Webon November 27, 2023 at 12:32 pm
Over the next year or two, the proposal was circulated and revised, resulting in an initial program being developed that was dubbed the World Wide Web. At least one expert has called the Web a ...
- web browseron April 26, 2023 at 5:00 pm
From the early days of ARPANET until the dawn of the World Wide Web (WWW), the internet was primarily the domain of researchers, teachers and students, with hobbyists running their own BBS servers ...
- World Wide Web code that changed the world up for auction as NFTon June 15, 2021 at 12:15 pm
LONDON: The original source code for the World Wide Web that was written by its inventor Tim Berners-Lee is up for sale at Sotheby’s as part of a non-fungible token, with bids starting at just ...
- What is the world wide web?on September 2, 2014 at 5:20 pm
Many people think that the internet and the world wide web are the same thing. While they are closely linked, they are very different things. PRESENTER: Often when you visit a website, the website ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
World Wide Web
[google_news title=”” keyword=”World Wide Web” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Fix the internet
- iFixit Now Offers Fix Kits For Kobo’s Colored E-readerson May 1, 2024 at 9:24 am
iFixit, the company that sells repair tools and parts for electronics, will soon provide repair kits for Kobo's colored e-readers. If you own one, it should be exciting news as you'll have everything ...
- ‘Every VW/Audi owner should be aware of this problem’: Mechanic issues surprising warning to Audi drivers during repairon May 1, 2024 at 7:00 am
If you own an Audi or Volkswagen and it's running 'lean,' there might be an oil leak from a seal you have to get under the car to see.
- Chuck Todd: The race to build a better internet — before it's too lateon May 1, 2024 at 4:00 am
In their new book, “Our Biggest Fight,” McCourt (a longtime businessman and onetime owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers) and Casey are attempting a call to action akin to Thomas Paine’s 18th century-era ...
- “Finally a Hulk that I can take serious”: Alleged Leaked Red Hulk Promo Art Hints Harrison Ford Will Fix One Mistake From Mark Ruffalo’s Run as Hulkon May 1, 2024 at 3:24 am
Fans have been speculating about Harrison Ford’s possible debut as the Red Hulk in the upcoming Captain America movie for some time now. The excitement skyrocketed a few months back when a leaked ...
- 5 Ways to Fix the Failed-to-Connect-to-Server Minecraft Error on Windows PCson April 30, 2024 at 9:25 am
This troubleshooting guide provides some possible resolutions for fixing the Minecraft error message that says, “Failed to connect to the server.” Are you seeking a fix for that server connectivity ...
- Is your internet being throttled? How to test and fix your speedson April 30, 2024 at 7:24 am
Learn more about why internet providers throttle your internet speed, how to tell when it's happening and what to do to prevent it.
- 5 Ways to Fix the “No Servers Found” Apex Legends Error on a Windows PCon April 29, 2024 at 6:33 am
This KeenGamer page tells you about some of the ways players can fix the “No servers found” Apex Legends error. Does the “No servers found” error appear when you start Apex Legends on a Windows PC? If ...
- More buildings to be demolished at industrial estateon April 28, 2024 at 7:26 am
In recent months, the city council has approved a number of applications to remove buildings at the estate, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. These included factory units and a ...
- How to fix the ‘Not Registered on Network’ error on a Samsung Galaxy phoneon April 27, 2024 at 3:01 am
Have a Samsung phone? Seeing an annoying Not Registered on Network error and unsure what to do about it? Here's everything you need to know to fix it.
- How to Fix the "No Internet Secured" Error on Windowson April 26, 2024 at 8:00 am
The message "No Internet, Secured" usually appears when your connection is weak. You can reboot your router to refresh your network, which might also improve its speed. Alternatively, you can also ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Fix the internet
[google_news title=”” keyword=”fix the internet” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]