water purification tagged posts

New Device Produces Hydrogen Peroxide for Water Purification

Schematic illustration of an on-site water purification system for rural communities. Powered by solar panels, the low-cost, portable device produces hydrogen peroxide from oxygen gas and water. Credit: Zhihua Chen/Stanford University

Schematic illustration of an on-site water purification system for rural communities. Powered by solar panels, the low-cost, portable device produces hydrogen peroxide from oxygen gas and water. Credit: Zhihua Chen/Stanford University

Many disease-causing organisms and organic pollutants can be quickly removed from water using H2O2 without leaving any harmful residual chemicals. However, producing and distributing hydrogen peroxide is a challenge in many parts of the world. Now scientists at the Dept of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have created a small device for hydrogen peroxide production that could be powered by renewable energy sources, like conventional solar panels.

“The idea is to develop an electrochemical cell that generates hydrogen perox...

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Leaf-Mimicking Device Harnesses Light to Purify Water

Bioinspired Bifunctional Membrane for Efficient Clean Water Generation: a new approach that uses solar light for both water purification and clean water generation. A bifunctional membrane consisting of a top layer of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs), a middle layer of Au NPs, and a bottom layer of anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) was designed and fabricated through multiple filtration processes. Such a design enables both TiO2 NP-based photocatalytic function and Au NP-based solar-driven plasmonic evaporation. With the integration of these two functions into a single membrane, both the purification of contaminated water through photocatalytic degradation and the generation of clean water through evaporation were demonstrated using simulated solar illumination.

Bioinspired Bifunctional Membrane for Efficient Clean Water Generation: a new approach that uses solar light for both water purification and clean water generation. A bifunctional membrane consisting of a top layer of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs), a middle layer of Au NPs, and a bottom layer of anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) was designed and fabricated through multiple filtration processes. Such a design enables both TiO2 NP-based photocatalytic function and Au NP-based solar-driven plasmonic evaporation. With the integration of these two functions into a single membrane, both the purification of contaminated water through photocatalytic degradation and the generation of clean water through evaporation were demonstrated using simulated solar illumination.

For years, scientists have been pursuin...

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