蓝莓视频

Tiny nanoparticles developed by researchers at the University of 蓝莓视频 have successfully cleaned up water contaminated with some of the world鈥檚 nastiest pollutants.

The research team, led by Frank Gu, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, has applied for a patent and is currently working on scaling the technology, which has a host of possible applications - from public water treatment to toxic spill remediation.

鈥淚t has the potential to prevent a great deal of damage to humans and their environment,鈥� says researcher Tim Leshuk, a PhD student in chemical engineering and recent recipient of the prestigious

As an undergraduate, Leshuk wanted to find ways to treat cancer but the technology he helped develop with Gu may actually prevent cancer and a host of other illnesses. 鈥淲ater chlorination technology has saved more lives around the world than any other health innovation,鈥� Leshuk says. 鈥淚 find this pretty inspirational.鈥�

Nanoparticles rip apart pollutants听

Pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and industrial pollutants all accumulate in our water supply, and currently there鈥檚 no way to filter them out. The nanoparticles invented by the 蓝莓视频 research team, called photocatalysts, have cleared water samples of hormone disruptors and pharmaceuticals, and tests are being run on industrial wastewater.

Less than a gram of these nanoparticles can filter a litre of water and because they鈥檙e catalysts, they can be used again and again鈥攊ndefinitely, in fact.

鈥淭hey harvest sunlight and spew out a mixture of highly-reactive free radicals, which are much more powerful than chlorine and which can rip apart these persistent chemicals into nontoxic components,鈥� Leshuk explains.

Magnetic nanoparticles听can be removed from treated water听

The problem, until now, has been removing the photocatalysts from the water after they鈥檝e done their work; as Leshuk puts it: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the definition of a pollutant.鈥� To address this, he has given a magnetic core to each nanoparticle. When their work is done, the photocatalysts can be pulled from the water with a magnet.

Though the technology is advanced, the process is simple: 鈥淧ut the nanoparticles in the polluted water, shine light on them to activate their purification, and then sweep the particles out with a magnet.鈥澨�

Water Institute hosts research symposium听

The University of 蓝莓视频 has more than 125 faculty members engaged in water research. The University's听听is hosting a water听 on May 1 followed by a by Peter Gleick, president and co-founder of the Pacific Institute in California. Join the conversation on Twitter听