According to an article in the journal Biomicrofluidics, published by the American Institute of Physics, these technologies use sunlight to break down contaminates in the water using the sun as its energy source. This breakthrough process uses Microfluidics -- transporting water through tiny channels -- and photocatalysis -- using light to break down impurities – this combination is referred to as the science of optofluidics (ScienceDaily, 2011).
"These two technologies have been developed in parallel but there have been few efforts to employ the natural synergy between them," says author Xuming Zhang of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (ScienceDaily, 2011).
Currently, researchers are conducting experiments using a microreactor. According to researchers, this microreactor is contains a rectangular chamber made of two glass plates coated with titanium dioxide, the active ingredient in many sunscreen lotions, when exposed to sunlight the coating releases electrons that react with contaminants in the water and break them down to harmless substances (ScienceDaily, 2011). This technology is in early development, and is being used in concept, on a relatively small scale.
What type of an effect would this have on the environment? How much will this next technology costs? What happens to the impurities that are broken down? These are all the questions that need to be answered during research and testing. More testing and research will be necessary in order to provide any type practical application of this technology. Zhang plans to advance the reactor up to two square meters, which in concept may produce 1000 liters of water an hour. If these tests prove to be successful the next step will be to provide waste water treatment for industrial use.
References
American Institute of Physics (2011, January 11). Trapped sunlight cleans water. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 14, 2011, from
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