In the field of wastewater treatment, it is expected to usher in a new technology that will greatly accelerate the removal of pollutants, and the cost is only a small part of the existing methods. Australian scientists have extracted cheap alloys that can remove impurities from polluted water, which may be for textiles. Industries such as production and mining have a major impact. Scientists especially want to use next-generation water treatment technology to improve industries with high pollution and mining.
Researchers have developed a crystalline alloy that removes impurities from wastewater in a matter of minutes (from: Edith Cowan University)
Mining operations produce large amounts of wastewater containing acids and heavy metals, and the textile production process also discharges a large amount of waste water containing dyes.
Quartz fiber, reusable micro-foam, and filters made from sunlight-activated nanoparticles are among the new technologies that are expected to solve this problem.
However, scientists at Edith Cowan University in Perth, the capital of Western Australia, have proposed a completely new solution that is said to be able to purify wastewater more efficiently.
The breakthrough focused on the manufacturing methods previously used by the research team to develop metallic glass with disordered atomic structures to remove impurities from wastewater.
This technique is suitable for forming so-called crystalline iron-based tapes which are heated in a specific manner to form a more ordered atomic structure. This allows the electrons therein to move more freely and combine with contaminants.
In an interview with New Atlas, Principal Investigator Laichang Zhang said: 'With specific treatment, the metallic glass begins to crystallize and the interior also produces particles.'
Due to the potential difference, the crystal grains generated in the crystalline iron base band tend to form many galvanic cells inside the material, which facilitates the transfer of electrons in the crystal grains and their interior.
Rapid electron transfer is a big expectation for our use in wastewater treatment. New materials can effectively convert pollutants into harmless substances such as water and carbon dioxide.
In short, the faster the electron transfer, the more efficient it is to remove contaminants. Team tests have found that the new material is sufficient to purify wastewater contaminated with fuel, heavy metals, organics in a matter of minutes, and is faster than existing methods. many.
The team said that the entire process will not produce any waste, the same material can be reused five times in the test.
It is worth mentioning that at just 15 Australian dollars ($10), you can make enough alloys to remove a lot of waste water.
The research team is currently working on industry cooperation to further reduce costs and improve material efficiency.
