Manta Rays Hold the Key to High-Tech Water Filtering

With their glider-like appearance and long tails with powerful stings in the case of their cousins ​​stingrays, manta rays are certainly fascinating creatures. It is not uncommon to see them jumping out of the water as if dreaming of the sky. Like whales, they feed on plankton and small crustaceans. Their technique is similar to that found in other fish that use microhooks in their gills to catch prey. But scientists have discovered their peculiarities. water filtration A technology that can have many practical applications. Unlike other fish, manta rays never stop “clearing their throats” to unclog their gills while feeding.

Instead of the usual array of microhooks found on other gills, manta rays feature an array of leaf-like lobes. It’s basically a filter that pushes particles away instead of trapping them like a sieve filter. In this way, manta rays can eat the smallest organisms that pass through the gills of other species.

This type of feeding technology has prompted a group of scientists from Oregon State University in the United States to develop it. innovative water purifierTo understand the process, researchers should 3D printed model of filter lobes to replicate them in an open flow tank in the lab. When I examined the filtered water, I noticed that most of the particles had disappeared, even those smaller than the actual pores. What is the mechanism behind this effect?

To visualize the behavior of the particles, scientists injected dye into the stream and created a corresponding computational model. This indicated the formation of vortices that caused particles to “bounce” out of the filter pores. Combining all the results, we get technology project, they came to the conclusion that manta rays use a unique solid-liquid separation system, with the added advantage that particles do not clog the pores. This allows it to continue working without the need for a cleaning mechanism.

crosshair micro plastic

Now is the time to develop 3D printed filter prototype You can have multiple applications. One of the major concerns for marine ecosystem protection, which also has important implications for human health, is the increasing abundance of plastic particulates in the ocean.this type of filter technology It may pave the way for trapping particles that pass through other conventional filtering systems.So by implementing this Innovation In wastewater treatment plants, the water reaches the open sea without these harmful substances.

sauce: scientific journals



Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *