Benefits of Nanotech

Nanotechnology for Clean Water: New Research Funding Brings Hope

Interest in clean water research is flowing. And much of it is focused on nanotechnology, which many believe will be a major contributor to new industrial and public water purification systems. With the World Health Organization estimating that as many as 35 percent of the deaths worldwide are due to contaminated drinking water supplies, research focused on various forms of purification and filtration is critically important.

Among the NNI agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued research grants for the development of new methods of insuring clean drinking water. EPA's 10 research grants to nine universities are for developing better methods for detecting harmful organisms in drinking water, including viruses, bacteria and protozoa. The grants, totaling $5 million, were awarded through the EPA National Center for Environmental Research Program's Science to Achieve Results (STAR) research grants.

With funding from the National Science Foundation, Rice University researchers recently discovered unexpected magnetic interactions between ultra small specks of rust, which can help to remove arsenic from drinking water. Rice University's Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN ) says its research could lead to the development of a revolutionary, low-cost technology for cleaning arsenic from drinking water. The technology holds promise for millions of people in India, Bangladesh and other developing countries where thousands of cases of arsenic poisoning each year are linked to poisoned wells. The new technique is described in the Nov. 10 issue of Science magazine. Read more about Rice University's research .

See also these other articles on nanotechnology for water purification:

• Cheap Drinking Water from the Ocean
• Nanotechnology could ease the world's water woes
• Nanotechnology Offers Solutions for Cheap and Effective Supply of Fresh Drinking Water