Scientists develop unique material to purify seawater for drink purpose using sunlight

With soaring concerns around water pollution and scarcity of drinking water, a newly-developed techlogy that can convert salty seawater into safe for consumption liquid has potential of transforming millions of lives across globe. A global research team has been able to convert water from sea bodies into potable drinking water in less than 30 minutes under sunlight and using a metal-organic framework (MOF). 

This breakthrough techlogy can solve water scarcity problems in many parts of world as it can filter harmful particles and generate at least 139.5 litres of potable water per kilogram of MOF every day. Moreover, it also lies at par with efficiency of current processes of desalination, which is process of removing mineral components from saline water. 

World Health Organisation (WHO) has suggested that good quality of drinking water should have less than 600 parts per million (ppm) of total dissolved solids (TDS).

According to world-first research published in Nature Sustainability journal, scientists were able to achieve a TDS of less than 500 ppm in less than 30 minutes for 139.5L of water after filtering 2,233 ppm water sourced from a river, lake or aquifer in a day. And in just four minutes, it also regenerates MOF used under sunlight. 

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What are MOFs?

What le author Professor Huanting Wang from Department of Chemical Engineering at Monash University in Australia has called “new sorbent-based desalination process” is use of sunlight to regenerate an energy-efficient and environment-friendly solution, MOFs.

metal-organic frameworks are basically a class of compounds that consist of metal ions. se ions form a crystalline material that is kwn to have largest surface area of any material that is kwn.

study has revealed that MOFs are “so porous” that y can actually fit entire surface of football field in a teaspoon. Keeping in mind abilities of compound, researchers developed a MOF called ‘PSP-MIL-53’. This is me by synsising “poly(spiropyran acrylate) (PSP) into pores of MIL-53 - a specialised MOF well-kwn for its breathing effects” researchers explained.

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