China develops new material to treat polluted water

Scientists in China have developed a new material to treat polluted water, according to a report by Xinhua News Agency. The material is a three-dimensional grapheme containing titanium dioxide that uses sunshine to accelerate the breakdown of harmful organic substances.

(Left) Researchers at the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics start an experiment to see how long it takes for the new material to absorb pollutants from a sample of contaminated water. (Right) After three minutes and four seconds, the polluted water has become clear and its pungent odor disappeared. [Photo: Xinhua]

The new material can be used to treat wastewater from printing, dyeing, and tannery operations. It is also been shown to be more effective than traditional methods at treating wastewater from paper production.

The new material was developed by two research centers led by Professor Huang Fuqiang from Peking University, and has already been used to treat contaminated water in Shanghai, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces.