Water
How bats could soon lead us to new sources of clean water
While global water usage is rising across the world, the quality of water is declining. At least a dozen major cities could face limits on water use in the next several decades. To find additional sources of clean water, some researchers are turning to bats. These winged-animals need water, and Read More...
Record-breaking paper water purifier operates at near 100 percent efficiency
Researchers at the University at Buffalo have created a highly efficient device that uses sunlight and black carbon-dipped paper to clean water. The paper is placed in a triangular arrangement, which enables it to vaporize and absorb water with nearly 100 percent efficiency. The simple, Read More...
Graphene: the wonder material that could solve the world's water crisis
Graphene, the much-hailed wonder material, may be the solution to the world’s water Read More...
Miracle moss removes arsenic from drinking water
While it's not the responsibility of plants to clean up the mess we humans seem to make of the planet, it is certainly kind of them to show us how it's done. The latest plant to offer an assist in environmental clean-up looks to be Warnstofia fluitans, otherwise known as floating hook Read More...
Water purification breakthrough can even clean water from the Dead Sea
Despite all our advances, access to clean water is still a major problem – not just for developing nations, but here in the US, where water shortages during natural disasters can cost lives. Scientists have created a cost-effective technology that addresses this problem using hydrogels. Using Read More...
How the citizens of Cape Town came together to avoid a major water crisis
During the California drought, which finally ended in late 2016, residents were still using on average 109 gallons of water per person per day. That’s rather shameful, especially when you compare it to the citizens of Cape Town, South Africa, where water levels are currently extremely low. There, Read More...
Fog harps could wrest water from the clouds
Inspired by coastal redwoods, scientists have created a new kind of fog harvesting design that appears to increase the capacity of clean water collection by Read More...
Checking if water is contaminated could soon be as simple as snapping a photo
Dutch researchers are developing a simple smartphone attachment that makes it ridiculously easy to measure the quality of water. All you have to do is point the tool at the water you want to measure. That’s it. Such a tool could allow citizens to see if their drinking water is contaminated, or Read More...
These cheap paper water filters remove lead, arsenic, and bacteria
On a visit to Bangladesh in 2011–where an estimated 20 million people are exposed to arsenic in local drinking water–scientist Liangjie Dong worked with a team to teach residents how to use a filtration system he designed that could make the water safe. The technology worked, but it wasn’t Read More...
A simple carbon-based filter can turn filthy saltwater into drinking water
Researchers in Australia have created a new type of water filter that can purify and desalinate water in a single step. Using a material made from a thin layer of pure carbon, the researchers were able to create a filter that only allows pure water molecules to pass through while rejecting all the Read More...