Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are constantly proposing new methods for a myriad of goals, including water treatment and purification. In recent years they have invented very interesting to improve the use of what is the most basic and indispensable resource.
One of them, recently published, for example, consists of an electrochemical method that allows to selectively eliminate even the smallest particles of pollution. In this post we are going to review 5 of the inventions brighter that MIT has generated in recent years to overcome the problem of water resources, specifically in order to purify water.
Elimination of micro-pollution in water
The application of a electrochemical processIndeed, it allows to selectively eliminate chemical pollutants of different types, such as pesticides or residues from drugs.
Compared to traditional electrochemical separation methods, the new method developed at MIT offers a selective alternative to kill even very low levels of unwanted compounds, as explained in the journal Energy and Environmental Science.
Take advantage of plant filtering
The simple use of a twig is the proposal of scientists from MIT as a system to purify water and thus kill 99.9 percent of bacteria. The system is as simple as placing a twig and filtering water through it, using the same system as plants to filter the water.
The intention is to help minimize disease incidence that are transmitted by water all over the world simply by using a pine wood twig, separating the bark and inserting it into the end of a plastic tube that we will finally use to absorb water and thus filter it, explains its inventor, Rohit Karnik, an engineer. MIT mechanic.
Make salt water drinkable thanks to the sun
This third proposal won the prize in the Desal Prize competition, an event organized by USAID that rewards low-cost desalination solutions, feasible for developing countries.
A team made up of MIT scientists in collaboration with the company Jain Irrigation System has invented a method to make this possible through the use of solar energy. For this, solar panels are used with which batteries are charged that feed a system that removes salt from the water through electrodialysis. An invention very practical which, however, still has to lower its costs.
Graphene filter to desalinate water
MIT scientists David Cohen-Tanugi and Jeffrey C. Grossman propose a nanoporous filter to desalinate seawater. Specifically, they have developed a graphene filter to purify salt water in a very faster than up to now.
As explained in Physorg, graphene nanopores can filter salt from water at a much higher speed than reverse osmosis, the better technology desalination system that exists.
Cohen-Tanugi says his system can run "hundreds of times faster than current techniques, at the same pressure" or deliver the same performance at lower pressure. If applied, at least that is the case in theory, it could be desalinated at a lower cost and, therefore, popularize the invention.
Ending the water crisis is the challenge for these scientists, given the measures applied to date depend not only on technology, but also on geopolitical issues, as well as on social inequalities already endemic.
In their case, they propose this filter as a giant step towards extending its use to regions that until now could not afford the costs of current desalination technology. Although, on the other hand, it has a great drawback, and it is the need for an adequate treatment of the water used to carry out the process, since it cannot be poured directly into the marine ecosystems.
A washing machine filter allows water to be reused
Chris Lai, Sasha Huang and Alina Rwei were awarded in the MIT "Water Innovation Prize" competition, which seeks new solutions to make better use of the liquid element.
The award went to the creation of the startup "AquaFresco", formed by the three university students in order to develop your invention, a filter capable of reusing 95 percent of the water from the washing machines in the next wash.
AquaFresco's objective is to reduce water consumption in the hospitality sector, in laundries or in hospitals, let's say. "Basically the same batch of water could be used to wash clothes for up to six months," they conclude. Their creators.
MIT is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts (United States), which includes a faculty and five schools. Its main characteristic is its focus on research and innovation technological from engineering
Founded in 1861, it was created to support the growing industrialization of the country. Without abandoning conventional scientific research, he placed a great emphasis from the beginning on applied technology, usually in close collaboration with industry.
It is, therefore, a university with a strong business culture, currently very oriented to the new challenges of a society that aspires to be low in carbon and to solve the problem of resource supply basic for life, as is the water. In fact, at a time as important for humanity as it is today, MIT plays an important role.
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