Home > News > Tapping New Ideas to Make Water Drinkable
September 20th, 2010
Tapping New Ideas to Make Water Drinkable
Abstract:
South African tap water is swimming with bugs, laden with pesticide residues and peppered with heavy metals.
So says Prof Eugene Cloete, dean of science at the University of Stellenbosch, who has fitted filters to the taps in his home and offers visitors to his office bottled mineral water. He constantly mulls over ways to tackle everyday problems. In this case, cutting-edge nanotechnology collided with a lowly pair of hair tongs and a tea bag filched from the science faculty boardroom.
As he watched a Stellenbosch student demonstrating how to spin nanofibres, filaments finer than a human hair, Cloete had one of those "aha" moments.
"I thought to myself, it would not be a bad idea to make our own membranes from nanofibres instead of purchasing a filter. And why not incorporate the enzymes into the fibres themselves?"
Source:
allafrica.com
Bookmark:
| Related News Press |
News and information
Sensors innovations for smart lithium-based batteries: advancements, opportunities, and potential challenges August 8th, 2025
Deciphering local microstrain-induced optimization of asymmetric Fe single atomic sites for efficient oxygen reduction August 8th, 2025
Lab to industry: InSe wafer-scale breakthrough for future electronics August 8th, 2025
Possible Futures
ICFO researchers overcome long-standing bottleneck in single photon detection with twisted 2D materials August 8th, 2025
New molecular technology targets tumors and simultaneously silences two ‘undruggable’ cancer genes August 8th, 2025
Simple algorithm paired with standard imaging tool could predict failure in lithium metal batteries August 8th, 2025
First real-time observation of two-dimensional melting process: Researchers at Mainz University unveil new insights into magnetic vortex structures August 8th, 2025
Academic/Education
Rice University launches Rice Synthetic Biology Institute to improve lives January 12th, 2024
Multi-institution, $4.6 million NSF grant to fund nanotechnology training September 9th, 2022
Announcements
Sensors innovations for smart lithium-based batteries: advancements, opportunities, and potential challenges August 8th, 2025
Deciphering local microstrain-induced optimization of asymmetric Fe single atomic sites for efficient oxygen reduction August 8th, 2025
Japan launches fully domestically produced quantum computer: Expo visitors to experience quantum computing firsthand August 8th, 2025
ICFO researchers overcome long-standing bottleneck in single photon detection with twisted 2D materials August 8th, 2025
Water
Taking salt out of the water equation October 7th, 2022
 |
||
 |
||
| The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
 |
||
|
|
||
| Premium Products | ||
 |
||
|
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
 |
||
|
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
|
|
||