New Technology Turns a Sunny Day into Safe Water
Wednesday, June 12, 2019 IST
Clean water. It's something most of us take for granted. We turn on a faucet and don't give a second thought that the water coming out of it for cooking, cleaning and drinking is pure and safe. For many around the world, however, this can be a risky assumption. The supply of healthy water can't keep up with the demands of increasing populations, as well as the effects of climate change. But scientists are developing a technology that can help address this crisis using something we do have plenty of: sunlight.
The United Nations says more than 2 billion people are without ready access to safe, clean water for drinking and for sanitation — a basic human right declared by the U.N. General Assembly in 2010. And 1 million people die each year from diseases related to unsafe water and hygiene. Add to this the dual demands of more agriculture and more energy that more people create, as well as the changing weather patterns that are increasingly common, and the pressures for a safe and stable water supply only continue to increase.
This is why the findings of researchers in the scientific journal Chem, published Feb. 7, 2019, are so important, and so exciting. Using a photocatalyst — a material that chemically changes in the presence of light — of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) in very thin sheets, scientists have quickly eliminated nearly 100 percent of disease-causing bacteria, including E. coli, in tests conducted on 2.64 gallons (10 liters) of water. That's enough drinking water for four people for one day.
Similar to the way a magnet can attract metal, these sheets attract electrons that then form compounds with the oxygen present, such as hydrogen peroxide, to rid the water of harmful bacteria. While using a photocatalyst and sunlight to purify water is not new, previous methods required metals that left behind their own pollutants, or took much longer to complete the process.
Ramping up production for large-scale purification is still in development, but this method is encouraging as an additional means of securing safe water for a growing population. It's time to see the future of clean water in a whole new light.
Related Topics
Related News & Articles
Well, what do we have here? A lesson in kindness, maybe? Anyway, after years and years of mercilessly killing whales for our own good, this news is indeed surprisin...
Recently posted . 740 views . 7 min read
Smash Brahmanical Patriarchy
Recently posted . 2K views . 0 min read
The largest moon of Saturn is the only planetary body in the solar system, apart from Earth, that has stable liquid lakes on its surface and dunes that are made up ...
Recently posted . 647 views . 1 min read
Pakistani scientists have successfully tried a simple solution to turn the pests into protein and income amid the worst swarms for decades
Recently posted . 1K views . 1 min read
A factory in France has created a process to recycle any plastic into any other plastic
Recently posted . 711 views . 0 min read
Trending News & Articles
ALMATY: Hour upon hour, day upon day, Omir Bekali and other detainees in far western China's new indoctrination camps had to disavow the...
Recently posted . 199K views . 1 min read
If you have payed attention to the belly buttons of people on the beach or the members of your family, you have probably noticed that they have different shapes and...
Recently posted . 8K views . 2 min read
In this age of terror, there might be nothing more terrifying than the thought of an attack carried out with chemical weapons. We’ve all heard the horrific ...
Recently posted . 3K views . 4 min read
Body fitness is one thing that everyone wants to maintain irrespective of age. Going to the gym and doing some great exercise always helps to maintain your body fit...
Recently posted . 3K views . 2 min read
More in Global
Dear Parents
Spend maximum time with your daughter/(s) -
Here is why
...
Recently posted. 656 views . 2 min read
During a four hour celebration in an 80,000-capacity stadium, Alibaba's billionaire executive chairman delivered on his promise of a year ago to hand over to CE...
Recently posted. 759 views . 1 min read
Images captured minutes after the fireball disintegrated in the atmosphere show the shadow of the meteor's trail cast on top of clouds, elongated by the sun'...
Recently posted. 906 views . 1 min read
Recently posted . 748 views
Recently posted . 840 views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 1K views . 140 min read
Recently posted . 1K views . 99 min read
"This just changed my life," wrote one person on the garlic peeling video.
Recently posted. 543 views . 0 min read
At least 31 cases have been confirmed as of Friday, state officials said, and dozens more are under investigation. Medical authorities say it is unclear whether pat...
Recently posted. 602 views . 1 min read