Researchers may have finally found an answer to the water pollution crisis

• Eighteen organic pollutants were tested in the research.
  
• The materials identified by researchers can absorb most of the pollutants that are present in urban water.
  
• It takes about 24 hours for the whole absorption process.
  

Researchers from the University of Seville, Spain have identified absorbent materials that have the capacity to soak up most types of pollutants that are found in urban waste water. The whole process takes about 24 hours.

Researchers evaluated two materials:

• A highly-charged expandable synthetic mica (Na-Mica-4)
• A material obtained from cation exchange with an organo-functionalised mica (C18-Mica-4).
  

In the study 18 organic pollutants were tested in total including, industrial pollutants, personal care products and pharmacologically active ingredients. All these pollutants, at the end of their utility cycles, enter into water bodies in some form or the other.

The study was also carried out on potable water, surface water from rivers, treated and untreated urban water and all the results were positive.

The results of the research reflect that the material C18-Mica-4 has the ability to eliminate most of the pollutants in water from urban areas, surface water and drinking water.

Esteban Alonso, a professor at the University said, “Studies like this, and others in the same line, are showing the potential of certain adsorbent materials for use in the industrial treatment of water affected by different types of pollution. And obtaining a universal materials that has a high elimination capacity and can be used for a wide range of pollutants, is the main goal in this area of investigation.”


Especially in a country like India where the population is growing at a very high rate and so is the level of pollution, materials like these are in demand. If such environmental degradation continues uncurbed the country will run out of drinkable water by 2040.