Researchers develop eco-friendly materials capable of purifying water

TheDGIST is a science and technology institute.

Professor Park Chi-Young's team was able to develop an atypical porous material that can completely remove organic pollutants from water at high speeds. Microplastics can be removed from the water by using the porous material developed. It is expected to be used as a high-efficiency adsorption material in the future as it has cost competitiveness based on raw materials and can be used in a solar-based water purification process.

Various water purification technologies and materials have been developed to address the issue of water pollution caused by the rapid development of the chemical industry. Carbon-based porous materials can't be recycled because of their slow and high thermal energy requirements. It has been difficult to develop materials that satisfy excellent recyclability, high efficiency, and economic efficiency at the same time.

Professor Park Chi-Young's team at the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at the DGIST succeeded in making a porous polymer by reacting an inexpensive and effective precursors. A hydrophilic functional group was introduced to enable fast removal of micro-pollutants from the water, based on the results of an additional oxidation reaction on the polymer.

Experiments show that the research team's invention does not need high thermal energy for recycling and can be used multiple times.

The research team was able to create a water treatment membranes that could be used to convert solar energy into heat. As a result, it was confirmed that the water treatment was able to purify the phenols through the sun.

Professor Park Chi-Young of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering said, "The technology we developed here is an unparalleled water purification technology with the world's highest purification efficiency." It will be a universal technology with high economic efficiency that can purify contaminated water and supply drinking water in areas where there is no power supply.

The results were published in a journal.

Wansu Cho et al., supramolecular Engineering of Amorphous Porous Polymers for Rapid Adsorption of Micropollutants and SolarPowered Volatile Organic Compounds Management, Advanced Materials, was published in 1992. There is a citation for "adma.202206982."

Journal information: Advanced Materials

TheDGIST is an institute of science and technology.

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