{"id":53775,"date":"2016-04-18T12:00:41","date_gmt":"2016-04-18T16:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stg.savethewater.org\/?p=53775"},"modified":"2021-05-27T19:36:10","modified_gmt":"2021-05-27T23:36:10","slug":"new-graphene-based-technology-enhances-future-water-purification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/new-graphene-based-technology-enhances-future-water-purification\/","title":{"rendered":"New Graphene-Based Technology Enhances Future of Water Purification"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Sophia Arnao<\/a>, Staff Writer and Researcher for Save The Water\u2122 | April 17, 2016<\/span><\/p>\n

Imagine a substance so thin it is\u00a0considered two-dimensional. It may seem like something from\u00a0a science fiction novel, but it\u2019s real<\/span>\u2014<\/span>and it\u2019s changing the face of water purification technology as we know it.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is graphene?<\/h2>\n

This miracle material, called graphene, is essentially a single layer of carbon atoms packed together in a hexagonal lattice structure, or \u201choneycomb\u201d shapes (as shown above).1<\/span>\u00a0At only one atom thick, it is the thinnest compound and lightest material.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the fact that it naturally repels water, graphene allows water – and only water – to pass through when small pores are made in the sheet.2<\/span>\u00a0In the past, scientists have created filters out of graphene that successfully purified water. However, the delicate properties and high cost of the material only allowed the filters to be made on a small scale.3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Recent breakthroughs and new applications<\/h2>\n

Recently, a new breakthrough was made in graphene-based water treatment when a research team at Monash University and University of Kentucky created a vicious form of graphene oxide that can be spread with a blade. It is also able to withstand harsh environments for extended periods of time. This, along with the capability for faster production, makes these filters valuable for a variety of larger-scale commercial applications.4<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This filter is still likely just the beginning of graphene technology, but already a wide variety of applications can be imagined. One main use would be in desalination, which would allow seawater to be turned into tap water.5,6<\/span>\u00a0This would be a major advance in mitigating water shortages worldwide, as most of the Earth\u2019s water is found in oceans. Other uses could be for uses other than consumption, such as treating industrial wastewater or public utility water so it could be reused. If adopted, the filter could even purify other liquids, such as wine or milk.<\/span><\/p>\n

As an organization that is involved in raising public awareness about issues related to water contamination, Save the Water\u2122 can help educate people about the potential for graphene to be used in water filters. Informing more people about it may inspire more scientists to start working to apply these filters in the real world.<\/span><\/p>\n

References<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Abozar Akbari et al. March 10, 2016. \u201cRevolutionary graphene filter could solve water crisis.\u201d Phys.org.\u00a0http:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2016-03-revolutionary-graphene-filter-crisis.html<\/li>\n
  2. Graphene-info. n.d. \u201cGraphene and water treatment: introduction and market status.\u201d http:\/\/www.graphene-info.com\/graphene-water-treatment<\/li>\n
  3. Jesus de La Fuente. n.d. \u201cGraphene – What Is It?\u201d Graphenea. http:\/\/www.graphenea.com\/pages\/graphene#.VvhAYBIrJE4<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Jesus de La Fuente. n.d. “Graphene Applications & Uses.” Graphenea. http:\/\/www.graphenea.com\/pages\/graphene-uses-applications#.VvhCOxIrJE4<\/li>\n
  5. Wei Gao,\u00a0et al. 2011. \u201cEngineered Graphite Oxide Materials for Application in Water Purification.\u201d American Chemical Society. http:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/abs\/10.1021\/am200300u<\/li>\n
  6. Xylem Inc. n.d. \u201cFrom Water Reuse to Water Desalination, Treating Water the World Around.\u201d http:\/\/www.xylem.com\/en-us\/applications\/water-treatment\/Pages\/default.aspx<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Recently, a new breakthrough was made in graphene-based water treatment when a research team at Monash University and University of Kentucky created a viscous form of graphene oxide that can be spread with a blade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12812,"featured_media":114118,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[294,553,568],"yst_prominent_words":[708,3335,610,3446,792],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53775"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12812"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53775"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114120,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53775\/revisions\/114120"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53775"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=53775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}