Filters

Although we've seen several materials that are designed to remove oil from water, many of these become saturated, and have to be discarded. A new reusable membrane gets around this problem, however, by repelling oil instead of just soaking it up.

In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and harvest useful byproducts, scientists are increasingly investigating methods of capturing the CO2 emitted by smokestacks. A new material may make doing so easier and more efficient than ever before.

It would be handy if there was a filtration medium that could be electronically "switched" to capture particles of different sizes. It turns out that there soon may be, thanks to a newly-developed conductive polymer that changes state, on demand.

In the chemical-production industry, energy-intensive processes are constantly being used to remove unwanted molecules from liquids. It now looks like much of that energy could be saved, however, by utilizing filters made from plastic bottles.

Researchers at Rice University have developed a new air filter made of graphene foam, which can kill captured microbes with small zaps of electricity.

Throughout the densely-populated country of Bangladesh, a lack of access to clean drinking water is responsible for a variety of debilitating and often-lethal infections. Soon, however, residents could filter virtually all harmful microbes out of their water, using paper derived from algae.

Lens filters are an important tool for many DSLR photographers, but dealing with different diameter lenses, stepping-rings, square filter mounts and the rest can be frustrating and expensive. But now, an ingenious filter system for mirrorless camera adapter mounts, looks to shake things up.

​Whether you want to add special effects to a photo, reduce haziness or color the scene, lens filters can be very useful in-the-field photography tools. The Rapid Filter System by Alter lets photographers apply a filter the moment its needed, and disengage when it's not.​

Water filters get less effective as bacteria builds up on their surface. Now, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a new type of membrane that reduces such biofouling by actively killing bacteria with graphene – and in an interesting twist, it’s built by bacteria.

​It can be a hassle, trying to remember when to change the air filter in your furnace. Even then, you may end up changing it earlier or later than is actually required. Toronto-based CleanAir.ai is now offering an alternative, with its "smart" Alvi furnace filter.

Water filters can get dirty and lose their effectiveness quickly. Now researchers have tested a new nature-inspired membrane that filters liquids using other liquids, making for a more efficient and longer-lasting membrane.

Most water filters work by a sieve principle, in which particles that are too big to pass through a filtration membrane's pores end up collecting on it. The problem is, such filters get clogged with trapped particles. The manta ray, however, has developed a work-around.