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A nanotech-based sponge to clean oil, phosphates and microplastics from contaminated waters…

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Ontario, Canada (CU)_ Northwestern University researchers have devised a way to successfully clean up oil, microplastics, and phosphate in polluted waters using a sponge that resembles the one you may find in every kitchen. This sponge may be used to clean up or absorb oil spills in sea without threatening marine life and avoid the formation of algal blooms when phosphate levels reach harmful levels. The sponge may easily be squeezed to collect and utilize diminishing natural resources such as oil and phosphate.

phys.org

Vinayak Dravid, a Northwestern engineer who invented the unique tool, explained that the revolutionary technology may perform numerous tasks similar to a Swiss Army knife. The sponge is capable of absorbing 99 percent of the phosphate ions it comes into contact with and up to 30 times its own weight in oil.

Dravid works at the Northwestern McCormick School of Engineering as the Abraham Harris Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and is the founding director of the Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental Center (NUANCE). Vikas Nandwana is a research assistant professor of materials science and engineering at McCormick and co-founder of MFNS Tech, which is a firm that is marketing oil-absorbing sponges.

thejournal.ie

These sponges are capable of removing the many pollutants. Dravid said, “Unlike the smokestacks of yesteryears where you can see and feel the pollution in the air, a lot of this pollution is silent. This water pollution comes in all kinds, so we want to create a scalable technology which can address remediation.

The mechanism of action of the sponge is different. Dravid said, “Almost half a billion tons of sponges are wasted each year and go to landfills. All we do is coat a tiny amount of nanotechnology slurry and that makes the sponge much more effective in capturing the pollutants. So, what we’re doing is using waste to clean waste.”

blackdiamondnow.net

Regarding commercialization of the sponge, Nandwana said, “We have already successfully tested our oil sponge in real-world conditions at a test tank within the National Oil Spill Response Research & Renewable Test Facility, which provides independent and objective performance testing of full-scale oil spill solutions”.

According to Nandwana, “This is just the beginning. Different types of nanotechnology coatings can be made that capture a variety of pollutants not only from water, but also from air and soil. Our sponge surely has potential to revolutionize environmental remediation.” 

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