ロチェスター大学の研究チームは、海水から有害な液体状の濃縮廃水を生じさせることなく、真水を作り出す太陽光利用システムを開発した。この技術は、レーザーで表面加工したパネルを用いて水を蒸発させ、塩分を固体として回収する。
このシステムは、フェムト秒レーザーで処理された黒色の金属パネルを使用しており、日光を吸収して海水を活性表面全体に行き渡らせる。水が蒸発する際、コーヒーリング効果を利用して塩分を受動的な領域へと誘導することで、稼働中の目詰まりを防ぐ。太平洋、大西洋、インド洋の海水サンプルを用いた試験により、継続的な真水の抽出と自己洗浄機能が確認された。
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Researchers at Flinders University say they have developed an adsorbent material that removed more than 98% of short- and long-chain PFAS—including hard-to-capture short-chain variants—in laboratory flow-through tests using model tap water. The approach embeds nano-sized molecular cages into mesoporous silica and, in the experiments reported, could be regenerated while remaining effective over at least five reuse cycles.
Researchers at Columbia Engineering have developed a new technique to pull lithium from underground brines more quickly and with less environmental harm. The approach uses a temperature-sensitive solvent and avoids the large evaporation ponds common in current production.
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Researchers at the University of Adelaide have devised a solar-powered process to transform plastic waste into clean hydrogen fuel and other chemicals. The technique, known as solar-driven photoreforming, uses sunlight and photocatalysts to break down plastics at low temperatures. Early experiments show promising hydrogen yields and system stability.
Two companies have tested pumping seawater onto Arctic ice to increase its thickness and slow summer melting. Field trials in Canada and Norway produced thicker ice but showed varying effects on how long it lasted.
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Researchers have modified bacteria to manufacture gadusol, a UV-protective substance found in fish eggs. The advance could support development of transparent, eco-friendly sunscreens. The work was led by a team at Jiangnan University in China.