Tag: Water

Microplastics can be filtered during washing, while schoolchildren have already invented ivy-based detergents. Now, a startup in Taiwan has reinterpreted and patented an existing process so that industrial-scale washing can take place without the use of chemical detergents. Their device is installed prior to the inlet of the machine and treats tap water using electrolysis. This generates nano-bubbles with...

Bumpers on boats are helping to keep waterways clean. Now a young English couple is removing rotting yachts from Cornwall’s riverbanks. Their non-profit organisation’s focus: the abandoned fibreglass vessels from whose hulls plastic particles and toxic materials have leaked into surrounding waters. Recent on-site analysis showed there were more than 11,000 fibreglass shards in a single kilogram of oysters....

A robot banishes harmful algae slicks to the ocean floor. And, according to an Australian research team, oil spills could soon be hoovered up by mini-robots. Key here: a new filter with small, air-filled pouches, coated with a water-resistant nanolayer of graphene oxide. It separates oil with 95% purity and can be extensively reused. The 3D-printed, electrically-operated mini-robot complete...

Tree bark can be an alternative to single-use plastic. Meanwhile a Finnish PhD student has alighted on pine bark as a filter for removing pharmaceutical residues from liquid waste. Treated wastewater often contains traces of medication such as blood pressure medicine or antidepressants. Antibiotics are particularly problematic as their presence helps pathogens develop resistance. The female researcher fortified the...

Fish waste can be used to manufacture sustainable packaging. Though water hyacinth protects fish, the proliferous plant harms biodiversity and destroys fishing nets. Enter a Kenyan founder' startup with a sustainable solution. Fishermen collect the weed, earning money for each dried kilo. Fibres are then extracted and, in a patented process, turned into a plastic alternative using an organic...

A sensor system makes brackish water fit for consumption at all times. In Holland, a startup has developed a smart device to monitor water stored in reservoirs. Sensors measure water quality and consumption while an algorithm analyses the data. If the quality is compromised, unusual amounts of water are taken or the fill level is low, tank owners are...

Ships at anchor can generate electricity. Now, a London-based designer wants to equip narrowboats with a special bumper to help clean up British canal waters. The plastic bumper, which hangs from outside the boat, has holes in its lower half, and is filled with coconut fibres and microbes. As the canal water flows into these openings any oil it...

Some solar panels follow the sun, while surplus energy can be stored in sand. Now a Boston-based research team has developed a battery-free, solar-powered desalination system for remote areas. The system utilises salt-heavy brackish groundwater and pumps it through a live membrane, meaning salt ions are drawn out as the water flows through. The novelty? An ingenious sensor system,...