Filters

As microplastics pollution and potable water scarcity both worsen, it's becoming increasingly important to find efficient ways of filtering and desalinating seawater. A new aerogel definitely holds some promise, and it's made from egg whites.

Engineers at the University of Vienna have developed a new composite material that makes an efficient filter for removing organic pollutants from water. The system uses super-porous “nano-sponges” embedded on a sheet of graphene.

When cooking oil is extracted from peanuts and sunflower seeds, a waste product known as oilseed meal is left behind. New research shows that proteins harvested from that meal can be used to filter heavy metals out of contaminated water.

A new type of desalination membrane uses a series of nanoscale tubes lined with a Teflon-inspired material that repels salts while allowing water to flow through with little friction. The team says it's fast, and requires little pressure and energy.

There are many parts of the world in which fresh water may be plentiful, but it's also full of harmful microbes. An experimental new filter is able to purify such water for drinking, and it's powered solely by sunlight.

Lead-contaminated tap water is still a problem in much of the world, where conventional lead removal filters may be too expensive for most households. An inexpensive new filter could help – and it was designed by a group of high school students.

While certain types of filtration media are great at removing pathogens from water, they do clog up over time, slowing their rate of filtration. According to new research, a solution to the problem may lie in the use of "living filtration membranes."

Engineers at Dartmouth College have developed a new crystal structure that can stretch to twice its size when it encounters a specific chemical. The team says that the material could be used to selectively absorb impurities in water.

As most of us have noticed over the past couple of years, face masks can sometimes be a hassle – necessary though they are. An experimental new mask, though, automatically becomes easier to breathe through when maximum air filtration isn't required.

MIT researchers have found yet another use for the over-achieving wonder material graphene, by making a reusable filter out of graphene oxide foam that acts like a magnet for uranium, effectively pulling the radioactive element out of drinking water.

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have developed a new method for 3D printing graphene aerogels that work well as water filters. The team says this technique helps make graphene aerogels scalable and stable enough to be used over and over.

Ironically, many of the places that most require water purification have the least-developed infrastructure. That's where a new filtration device comes in, as it's activated by the sun – and it works relatively quickly.