http://www.heraldsun.com.au/kids-news/csiro-scientists-discover-new-way-to-filter-dirty-water-into-clean-water-using-cooking-oil-commonly-used-on-bbqs/news-story/d4782b48102fe86633b805ddfda7c01a
[Desalinization potential as well as pollution removal. Tar sands
application? Produced water?]
CSIRO scientists discover new way to filter dirty water into clean water
using cooking oil, commonly used on BBQs
Lucie Van Den Bert, Herald Sun
February 14, 2018 6:01am
Australian scientists have discovered a better way to turn dirty water
and saltwater into water we can drink — and the solution has a very
Aussie flavour.
Scientists from the CSIRO discovered how to improve water filters using
a new lining material created from cooking oil, commonly used on barbecues.
And, they tested their invention by filtering seawater samples collected
from Sydney Harbour.
Lead author Dr Dong Han Seo said their water filter lining was a
simpler, faster and superior* way to clean contaminated* water for
humans to drink.
About two billion people around the world lack safe drinking water,
causing them to suffer diseases and poor health.
Dr Seo said water purification* was currently an expensive and
multi-stage process requiring pre-treatment of dirty water.
”Conventional* water filter linings used in water purification are
made from polymers (plastics) and ... clog or allow contaminants to pass
through, so they have to be separated out before the water is filtered,”
he said.
In these experiments, scientists used a normal water filter and coated
it with their new lining made from a material called GraphAir, which is
very strong and thin.
The CSIRO lining is made in the lab from vegetable oil and contains tiny
grooves; allowing clean water to pass through, but not pollutants* such
as mud, rubbish or salt.
The scientists’ test results, published in the journal Nature
Communications, showed that adding their lining meant dirty water could
be filtered in one step without any dirtying of the water.
Dr Seo believes they have created the perfect water purification tool.
“We wanted to test the real-world capability of our graphene-based
membrane (lining) so we took water from Sydney Harbour and without any
pre-treatment we sent it through our membrane for filtration.”
The result was transforming seawater into drinking water.
“What we have shown is that (the lining) acts as the perfect filter,
rejecting salts, oils, chemicals and other kinds of contaminants” Dr Seo
said.
The next step is to continue to test how well the lining works on
different types of water, produce it on a larger scale and attract a
business partner to help sell it to the public.
GLOSSARY
contaminated: something that is not pure or clean
superior: better
purification: the process of making something clean
conventional: what is generally done or perceived
pollutants: something that pollutes, particularly water or air
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Older article:
https://www.csiro.au/en/News/News-releases/2017/CSIRO-makes-high-quality-graphene-with-soybeans
