Despite great advances in access to safe places, drinking water Over the past 20 years, 785 million people still have problems in this regard. The consequences are dire as lack of safe drinking water can lead to diseases such as diphtheria, cholera and typhoid fever. Specifically, 1.6 million people die each year from diarrhea associated with inadequate water supplies. I’mnovation-Hub has covered a number of water purification technologies that reduce the need for extensive infrastructure. There are already many alternatives, from using hydrogels and sunlight, to ‘harps’ that collect atmospheric water, and water filters made of liquid metals. Now, researchers at the Tufts University School of Engineering (USA) have introduced a new low-cost water purification device that expands the range of options. What are the benefits? No maintenance, no power supply, and no moving parts minimize malfunctions. So how does it work?
Kenya Venturi Effect
Incompressible fluids experience flow acceleration when passing through narrower channels. Known as the Venturi effect, this is key to the operation of the proposed system. As explained in an article published in the journal Nature, water from the supply passes through a pinch valve, increasing its velocity. This determines the amount of chlorine added from the adjacent tank thanks to a pressure differential and a needle valve. Additionally, a window allows the operator to see the amount of residual chlorine at any time so that the tank can be refilled if required. is included.
Initial tests conducted in Kenya showed that 98.2% of the samples met the permissible chlorine threshold in water. On the other hand, the system he can operate in the range of 6-60 liters of water per minute, so the dosage remained constant regardless of the water flow rate. Additionally, the device required minimal maintenance during his six months during which the study was conducted. Except for his one case where rust build-up occurred, the efficiency of the machine was maintained throughout the study period.
Finally, the inventors show that at commercial scale, each device will cost about $35.
Learn how to make drinking water from bacteria on Mars
In addition to killing bacteria, water purification often requires the removal of chemicals and heavy metals. Inspired by the behavior of bacteria, the University of California, Riverside, has developed a system to remove perchlorate. This substance, which is so abundant in Martian soil, has a detrimental effect on the thyroid gland, so colonization efforts need an efficient system to eliminate it.
Researchers found that certain bacteria use molybdenum with enzymes to metabolize perchlorate and produce energy. developed an organism-inspired catalyst that requires only An additional advantage is that the technology can be adapted to generate oxygen from perchlorate in the soil.
Naturally, this is technology project It also has practical applications in the potability of terrestrial water. Perchlorate, a by-product of some disinfectants and herbicides, is a substance that permeates water reservoirs.
sauce: Nature, CDC, UCR
GIFs: Wikipedia
