Researchers from UNAM develop nanofibers to purify water
Researchers from UNAM develop nanofibers to purify water
A team of researchers from the UNAM campus Morelos (Mexico) developed membranes capable of retaining up to 98 percent heavy metals present in water; These nanofibers could be an alternative to guarantee purified water in schools, work centers, public spaces and homes in marginalized areas.
In Mexico, only 57 percent of urban wastewater is treated, while untreated waste is dumped "raw" in water bodies or reused for irrigation, according to the "Environmental Agenda 2018, Diagnosis and Proposals", presented by the National University.
And although sediment decanting (water rest) and chlorination in storage tanks are the most frequent methods for liquid sanitation, they do not contemplate the removal of heavy metals (arsenic, mercury, lead, chromium or cadmium) or other harmful compounds. "This situation favors the consumption of bottled water," said Ivan Camps Balabanov, a researcher at the Institute of Physical Sciences (ICF).
Faced with this situation, the Materials Science Group of ICF develops a research project led by Lorenzo Martínez and coordinated by Iván Camps, in which they undertook the task of creating electrohilated membranes, which contain active iron nanoparticles (Fe) and nickel (Ni).
Camps Balabanov explained the process of creation: "As if they were thin threads that are pulled from a reel, the nanowires are dragged from the needle of a syringe, which contains the polymer suspension, to a collector plate where it accumulates and finally forms the electrohilated membrane composed of nanofibers ".
Iván Camps Balabanov, researcher of the Institute of Physical Sciences of the UNAM. (Photo: UNAM)
The formation of these nanowires is induced by an electric field generated by a high voltage potential: 30 thousand volts (to put in perspective, the appliances require 120 V), which after a couple of hours will form a 10-centimeter membrane cubic
For the membrane to retain heavy metals, the researchers synthesized zero-valent iron and nickel nanoparticles (a feature that makes them extremely active with other metals), which are added to the polymer solution before electrospinning.
In laboratory tests, scientists observed that suspended on the surface or immersed in contaminated water, nanofiber is able to retain high levels of chromium (100 parts per million) in a first cycle. "In the laboratory we can correctly control and quantify the contaminant content, as well as determine exactly how much metal we eliminate."
Iván Camps stressed that this nanotechnology, created in the ICF, is an alternative for water health in schools, workplaces, public spaces and homes. "It complies with all the guidelines of sustainable chemistry or 'green chemistry', which establishes that the methodology for manufacturing nanoparticles and nanofibers does not lead to the generation of by-products that are difficult to dispose of or that may be harmful to the environment."
In the final phase of the project, the experts intend to achieve a simple method that allows washing and reusing nanofibers, to maximize their functionality in the medium and long terms. (Source: UNAM / DICYT)
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