Australian nanofilter promises rapid access to clean water

The technology from RMIT University and University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers is said to harness naturally occurring nanostructures that grow on liquid metals.

RMIT researcher Dr Ali Zavabeti said water contamination remains a significant challenge globally, with 1 in 9 people lacking access to clean water close to home.

"Heavy metal contamination causes serious health problems and children are particularly vulnerable," Zavabeti said. "Our new nanofilter is sustainable, environmentally-friendly, scalable and low cost.

"We've shown it works to remove lead and oil from water but we also know it has potential to target other common contaminants. Previous research has already shown the materials we used are effective in absorbing contaminants like mercury, sulphates and phosphates.

"With further development and commercial support, this new nanofilter could be a cheap and ultra-fast solution to the problem of dirty water."

According to RMIT, the liquid metal chemistry process developed by the researchers has potential applications across a range of industries including electronics, membranes, optics and catalysis.