Recent comments in /f/science

AllanfromWales1 t1_jdgxpho wrote

The article doesn't make clear (as far as I can see) whether this filtration system is a once-through system which needs to be replaced once used up, or whether there is a technique for replenishing the filter to allow continuing or multiple uses. Single-use filters can be a problem as you end up replacing one pollutant with another (the used filter).

103

Wagamaga OP t1_jdgwfde wrote

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a new method that can easily purify contaminated water using a cellulose-based material. This discovery could have implications for countries with poor water treatment technologies and combat the widespread problem of toxic dye discharge from the textile industry.

Clean water is a prerequisite for our health and living environment, but far from a given for everyone. According to the World Health Organization, WHO, there are currently over two billion people living with limited or no access to clean water.

This global challenge is at the centre of a research group at Chalmers University of Technology, which has developed a method to easily remove pollutants from water. The group, led by Gunnar Westman, Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry focuses on new uses for cellulose and wood-based products and is part of the Wallenberg Wood Science Center.

The researchers have built up solid knowledge about cellulose nanocrystals* – and this is where the key to water purification lies. These tiny nanoparticles have an outstanding adsorption capacity, which the researchers have now found a way to utilise.

“We have taken a unique holistic approach to these cellulose nanocrystals, examining their properties and potential applications. We have now created a biobased material, a form of cellulose powder with excellent purification properties that we can adapt and modify depending on the types of pollutants to be removed,” says Gunnar Westman.

Absorbs and breaks down toxins In a study recently published in the scientific journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, the researchers show how toxic dyes can be filtered out of wastewater using the method and material developed by the group. The research was conducted in collaboration with the Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur in India, where dye pollutants in textile industry wastewater are a widespread problem.

The treatment requires neither pressure nor heat and uses sunlight to catalyse the process. Gunnar Westman likens the method to pouring raspberry juice into a glass with grains of rice, which soak up the juice to make the water transparent again.

“Imagine a simple purification system, like a portable box connected to the sewage pipe. As the contaminated water passes through the cellulose powder filter, the pollutants are absorbed and the sunlight entering the treatment system causes them to break down quickly and efficiently. It is a cost-effective and simple system to set up and use, and we see that it could be of great benefit in countries that currently have poor or non-existent water treatment,” he says.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.iecr.2c03365

21

AutoModerator t1_jdgwcxb wrote

Welcome to r/science! This is a heavily moderated subreddit in order to keep the discussion on science. However, we recognize that many people want to discuss how they feel the research relates to their own personal lives, so to give people a space to do that, personal anecdotes are allowed as responses to this comment. Any anecdotal comments elsewhere in the discussion will be removed and our normal comment rules apply to all other comments.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

Bird_skull667 t1_jdgu95l wrote

This is false. Metastatic Colon cancer in your brain is colon cancer, not brain cancer. Breast cancer in your liver is breast cancer, and both are treated based on the type of cancer you have. Cancer treatments, even for metastatic disease are based on the mutations and drivers of specific cancers. It's why there are different types of chemo, immune therapies, CDK inhibitors, surgeries, etc. 'Cancer' describes a wide range of different genetic mutations that cause malignant growth of cells, but it is not one thing. This is also why there is no one cure, or treatment, for all cancers.

2