Could Nanotechnology Help Purify Your Water?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08.14.07
A project jointly undertaken by a group of Central Michigan University researchers and Dendritic Nanotechnologies Inc. has resulted in the creation of a groundbreaking new technology that can absorb toxic chemicals from ground water — a technology that could soon find its way into water purification systems. The partnership was recently granted a contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to refine the method using Dendritic Nanotechnologies' Priostar dendrimer-based nanotechnology. Dendrimers are spheroid or globular structures engineered to carry specific molecules in their interior empty spaces or on their surface.
The primary target for the purification system will be perchlorate — a groundwater contaminant found in several regions of the U.S. — which has been found to adversely affect the health of women by interfering with iodide absorption in the thyroid gland. Once brought over to the public sector, researchers believe it will also prove effective at removing and recovering metals such as chromium and lead and contaminants such as arsenic from groundwater. Company and university officials expect the system to be launched commercially in September 2008, with manufacturing, sales and technical support to be housed in CMU.
"Not only will this technology serve the legislative and environmental requirements of the U.S. Department of Defense in a cost effective manner, it will easily transition into the public sector. The economic need for a water remediation and recovery system that is cost effective, recovers precious metals for recycling, and releases water that exceeds the Clean Water Act standards back into the environment will be highly desired worldwide," said Robert Berry, president of Dendritic Nanotechnologies Inc.
"Highly desired worldwide"? That's putting it lightly.
Via ::CMU Newsroom: CMU-RC and Dendritic Nanotechnologies launch research to purify ground water (press release), ::Dendritic Nanotechnologies Newsroom: DNT to develop water purification technology under US Department of Defense contract (press release)
See also: ::Steven Holl's Whitney Water Purification Facility, ::Israel & US: Really, Really Small Ways For Purifying Water, ::Julie Frost’s ‘Mvura’ Water Purifier Wins Design Award
I'm curious what will happen to human bodies after a few billion nano-bots build up inside them (from this and other applications). Will we face nano-poisonings? Nano-terrorism? Do we care, or are we just rushing into this to make a few bucks, like genetically engineered food?
This article isnt dealing with nano-bots, nano-bots are an extremely far away technology indeed. The technology talkd about here is passive, in that it more closely resembles a chemical than a nano-bot. The Dendrimers are merely designed to absorb the specific harm chemical they were designed for, while being themselves inert and (we hope) safe for consumption.
I too would be interested in the Dendrimers effect on a human body, both before and after having absorbed the chemical they were designed to absorb. As i understand it the human body still requires or works better with some small amount of certain chemicals to perform certain functions, even though such chemicals would normally be toxic. Flouride would be one example, though a municipality releasing a chemical to take flouride out of water may be unlikely.
Nano technology could indeed be used for biological warfare, however its no more useful than current biological reagents, if not less useful. An active virus for instance would be far more effective than a passive piece of nanotechnology. Though i could b wrong on this, to my knowledge the closest we have come to nano-bots is a nano-electric motor.
... indeed it can do that. On 2003 I worked in some Japanese Lab to obtain kind of nano-filter which could do that. Technique is quite simple however mass. technology is another story. Obtaining nano sieves with controlled geometry is not so hard.
We can predict some of its properties however (that's funny) we are looking for applications just after that ;) Sometimes it appears that such product behave like catalyst and it can be useful in industry
All the best folks ;)
GROWING CONCERNS OF CONTAMINATED DRINKING WATER
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Carl W Cooper
Carlwcooper@bellsouth.net
www.silconano.com
This is Silco Company "High Sierra Water Reclamation", we need your help bad. We are trying to help Pastor Jim Wilkins in Lake City, Florida who's phone number is 1-386-754-5905 he helps the people in Haiti with their problems, medical and fammin. Silco Company manufactures a water reclamation kit so that people in 3rd world countries can have clean potable drinking water. This is a serious problem because 70% of the people that have to go to the hospitals or clinics are there due to water-born illnesses. Most of them being children and a lot of them dying. The wife or mother of the family's that live in these remote areas do their laundry by sitting in a small stream bed washing their clothing on rocks. They take a container of this water home with them to use for drinking and cooking hints the diseases that fallow. Jim needs all the help he can get because they have to purchase their products from donations. Silco Company is willing to help all we can by selling the products as close to the manufacturing cost as possible. When buying in volume (case lots). We are greatly in need of getting our products to the clinics and churches in their remote townships and areas. Please feel free to contact myself and or Pastor Jim Wilkins. Lets start saving lives now. Thank you! We hope to hear from you soon.
Carl W Cooper
carlwcooper@bellsouth.net
www.silconano.com
P.O. Box 608 Dallas, Ga
(770) 443-0466