Eco Factor: High-speed filter purify water using electrified nanostructures.
Our developing world is facing some serious diseases like cholera, typhoid and hepatitis, thanks to the dirty, unsafe water. In an attempt to provide a solution, researchers at Stanford University have developed a new high-speed, low-cost filter by simply dipping plain cotton cloth in a high-tech broth full of silver nanowires and carbon nanotubes, which could easily be implemented to purify water.
Unlike conventional filters that physically trap bacteria, this new filter lets them flow on through with the water, but kills them using an electrical field that runs through the highly conductive nano-coated cotton. For their experiment, the team exposed Escherichia coli bacteria to 20 volts of electricity in the filter for several seconds. The result was astonishing, over 98 percent of the bacteria were killed during the process.
The scientists claim that the new filter is about 80,000 times faster than the conventional bacteria trapping. In order to offer a cheaper solution to the world, the team used very little amount of silver for the nanowires, making the cost nearly negligible. The electrical current required to do the killing is only a few milliamperes strong, which can easily be supplied by a small solar panel or a couple 12-volt car batteries.
Via: Physorg
