Technology
Arsenicum
is highly toxic to human body, and drinking arsenic-polluted water for a long
period induces cancer through disorders in skins and nerves. It is reported
that underground water in Asia, South America, and Africa is polluted by
arsenicum over a wide range. In Bangladesh, arsenic pollution spreads across
the country and creates is a very serious issue. A research group led by Dr.
Sherif El-Safty of National Institute for Materials Science developed amaterial that can eliminate arsenicum dissolved in water.
It is a
porous alumina material with numerous small holes, each of which is several tens
of nanometers in diameter. On the inner surface of the alumina material, it has
a structure that beds atom groups to adsorb only arsenicum. It is effective to
eliminate arsenicum in drinking water. The newly developed material exhibited
an elimination factor of higher than 90% for 18 ml water with an arsenic
concentration of 2-5 ppm. Even if water contains metallic ions, it adsorbs arsenicum
on a priority basis. Because its color changes when it adsorbs arsenicum, it
can be a sensor to detect arsenicum for visual management. It is easily
available for practical application and mass production.
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