The bleeding-edge water purification technologies of today become the standard filtration solutions of tomorrow. Clean water is so vital to human civilization. That’s why we love talking about news stories on new filtration technologies. Another one has just been announced in Israel, a country that is dependent on desalinization technology for its water supply.
Scientists in Israel and China turned to distributed computing to find a new way to create efficient nanofiltration systems. Distributed computing is a way to link many standard computers together to work on a difficult problem. The concept has been around for a long time. As many as 150,000 people donated some of their computer power for the project.
The researchers were interested in how tiny vibrations called phonons affected the behavior of water through nanotubes. Nanotubes are a new method of filtration that uses very tiny tubes to filter water. Desalination plants are especially interested in this technology because it would provide a very easy and thorough way to remove salt molecules, which are larger than water. However, current nanofiltration technologies are very slow.
The research program allowed the scientists to test different tube configurations and vibration simulations. Some combinations allowed nanofilters to work 300% faster, a massive improvement! They found that when phonons are applied correctly to the filter, they help push the water through the tubes.
It is unknown how long it will take for this technology to become a viable product, but basic research like this is vital for future advances in clean water technology. Metro Water Filter is committed to bringing clean water to as many people as possible. If you have a commercial or municipal water treatment system, we can help you keep it in good condition, or help you upgrade your current system. Call our office for more information.