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from the what-about-captured-microbes-and-other-organic-matter? dept.
Highly efficient process makes seawater drinkable in 30 minutes:
A new study has used a material called a metal-organic framework (MOF) to filter pollutants out of seawater, generating large amounts of fresh water per day while using much less energy than other methods.
MOFs are extremely porous materials with high surface areas – theoretically, if one teaspoon of the stuff was unpacked it could cover a football field. That much surface area makes it great for grabbing hold of molecules and particles.
In this case, the team developed a new type of MOF dubbed PSP-MIL-53, and put it to work trapping salt and impurities in brackish water and seawater. When the material is placed in the water, it selectively pulls ions out of the liquid and holds them on its surface. Within 30 minutes, the MOF was able to reduce the total dissolved solids (TDS) in the water from 2,233 parts per million (ppm) to under 500 ppm. That's well below the threshold of 600 ppm that the World Health Organization recommends for safe drinking water.
Using this technique, the material was able to produce as much as 139.5 L (36.9 gal) of fresh water per kg of MOF per day. And once the MOF is "full" of particles, it can be quickly and easily cleaned for reuse. To do so, it's placed in sunlight, which causes it to release the captured salts in as little as four minutes.
Journal Reference:
Ranwen Ou, Huacheng Zhang, Vinh X. Truong, et al. A sunlight-responsive metal–organic framework system for sustainable water desalination, Nature Sustainability (DOI: 10.1038/s41893-020-0590-x)
(Score: 1, Troll) by Snotnose on Wednesday August 12 2020, @10:03PM (11 children)
Then go to your city council with a good way to recycle water, then let the local news get ahold of it, and just watch the fireworks.
Me? I understand the chemistry and physical properties. I'm just not sure I trust local government to not save a few $$$ and let a little pee and poo into my drinking water.
See also: Detroit.
I came. I saw. I forgot why I came.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 12 2020, @11:37PM (3 children)
I would rather have my water supplied with a proprietary blend of electrolytes.
(Score: 2) by srobert on Wednesday August 12 2020, @11:40PM (2 children)
Like Brawndo. It's got electrolytes.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Mykl on Thursday August 13 2020, @12:39AM (1 child)
It's what plants crave!
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 13 2020, @11:49AM
Joe: Okay, look. The plants aren't growing, so I'm pretty sure that the Brawndo's not working. Now, I'm no botanist, but I do know that if you put water on plants, they grow.
Secretary of Energy: Well, I've never seen no plants grow out of no toilet.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 13 2020, @01:01AM (3 children)
San Diego did this many years ago. The detractors labeled the project, "toilet to tap."
But, if you get your water from a river that is downstream from other cities, you probably already are drinking recycled sewer water. But, so called toilet to tap projects clean the water to a higher standard than the upstream cities are required to meet.
More common, in other California cities, is a parallel water distribution system with purple pipes, and purple sprinklers that carries recycled sewer water. It is used for irrigating landscaping at parks, shopping centers, schools, etc. Not sure if any of that water gets used in ag.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 13 2020, @02:50AM
I heard you can get pregnant from sewer-to-tap government water. Wanna risk your daughters having hundreds of black baby? Every year? No thanks, socialists.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 13 2020, @03:04AM
You see that a lot in rural communities too, where the water supply is a local lake or other non-high-flow water. The property has two supplies. One to the house, potable, and one to the yard, not potable. The non-potable tap is generally not billed by volume, but rather a flat monthly fee.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday August 13 2020, @04:35PM
Don't space stations have convenient reliable toilet to tap?
Is there a chemotherapy treatment for excessively low blood alcohol level?
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Friday August 14 2020, @05:38AM
Interesting factoid;
Singapore has a raw sewage to water tap treatment system already in place. And the tap water quality in Singapore is better than many places in the USA.
As my host's father so eloquently put it when we drove be the treatment plant during my visit there "Your drinking my shit water!!" (He seemed a little disappointed I already knew all about the treatment plant).
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Friday August 14 2020, @05:41AM (1 child)
Oh, and another interest fact. Urine has less dissolved salts in it than seawater, so giving this MOF urine to work with would be even better than seawater.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 14 2020, @05:18PM
One issue I've always seen thrown about in discussions about wastewater management are prescription and recreational drugs ending up in the water supply. I'd be really interested in seeing how well these technologies can filter those out.