Nanotechnology for clean water: Facts and figures
The principal way nanotechnologies might help alleviate water problems is by solving the technical challenges that removing water contaminants including bacteria, viruses, arsenic, mercury, pesticides and salt pose.Many researchers and engineers claim that nanotechnologies offer more affordable, effective, efficient and durable ways of achieving this — specifically because using nanoparticles for water treatment will allow manufacturing that is less polluting than traditional methods and requires less labour, capital, land and energy. [4]New technologies in the past have made similar claims. Yet if we could develop new business models that let us use nanotechnologies sustainably to solve real problems, identified in participation with local communities, we might have cause for optimism.
Nanotechnology for clean water: Facts and figures – SciDev.Net
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There are cheaper alternatives. To remove the non-infectious pollutants, from DDT to Arsenic, good results can be gotten using Phytoremediation with cattails or similar aquatic weeds. What I pictured requiring a 30 meter trough, Jeremiah Jackson did in a kiddie pool, smaller than a bathtub.
Read about it here: http://wwn-online.com/articles/71815
I wonder how much area is required to treat per volume of water and also how fast is the process? Also, what do you do with the cattails loaded with arsenic?
Disposing of the arsenic that you were ignoring before is a bit of a problem, but less than insurmountable. Where we encounter this cleansing “naturally”, the arsenic that the cattail absorbs is not released into the water when it dies. We let sleeping toxins lie. Where we have this problem wholesale, they end up with arsenic sludge they must just dump. They will take much less harm from dumping these cattails instead.
You’ll have to get the time/volume statistics from Mr. Jackson.