Stanford has developed a powder that cleans even very dirty water in 60 seconds (3 photos)

Scientists from Stanford University have developed a composition for fast and cheap disinfection of water, which does not require energy consumption. It is based on a principle that has long existed in nature - when Microorganisms in the liquid are killed by ultraviolet irradiation. But this the process takes many hours, while the new mixture is able to clean water in minutes.





The mixture consists of cheap and affordable components - oxide copper, molybdenum sulfate and iron, which are ground to particles nanometer size. The resulting powder is poured into the contaminated water, the container is placed under direct sunlight. Molybdenum and copper absorption of photons of light, they release free electrons, which start chemical reaction in water, resulting in the formation of hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals.



Both peroxide and radicals are extremely dangerous for living matter, they destroy cell membranes and destroy microbes. But these substances unstable and quickly decay, therefore, water purification requires constant access to sunlight. But just a little - for cleaning 200 ml liquid containing 1 million E. coli bacteria per 1 milliliter, it took a pinch of powder and 60 seconds of time, after which there are no live bacteria left in the container.

The key component of the mixture is iron, as it allows after cleaning, remove the powder from the liquid using a conventional magnet. The mixture can be reused up to 30 times, plus its composition and volume easily scalable depending on current goals. Scientists hope that their invention will help solve the problem of shortage of drinking water in many parts of the world.