Environmental Science · Water Science and Technology
An article explores how nanomaterials could support water purification as pollution and water scarcity put pressure on clean supplies. It discusses materials that trap toxic metals and membranes designed to filter very small contaminants, while noting their possible uses and limitations.
A study finds that shale gas flowback fluid could be processed to recover lithium while treating the wastewater for reuse. The proposed system produced an estimated 30.1 kilograms of battery-grade lithium carbonate per day and removed more than 90% of chemical oxygen demand in the researchers’ analyses.
A solar still fitted with rotating aluminum discs produced 24% more desalinated water than a drum-based still and 310% more than a standard passive still in experiments. Estimated water costs ranged from 8.2 to 10.3 cents per liter, with projected payback periods under seven months.
A functionalized titanium disulfide membrane rejected up to 96.9% of several antibiotics in laboratory filtration tests. The membrane continued working through 30 filtration cycles and 15 days of continuous operation, although testing in real-world water and larger systems was not reported.
A water-stable porous material revealed how it takes up atmospheric moisture, beginning with a strongly bound water molecule and proceeding through water layers. The nickel material also showed fast loading, regeneration at 60 °C or below and projected water productivity under simulated conditions.
