Could A Sponge Be The Answer To Cleaning Up The World’s Waste Water
With all of the Earth’s water pollution, oil spills, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, you would think we could come up with a better way to clean up the mess. Well a study posted in the journal Nanotechnology by researcher from the University of Rome are stating a new carbon nanotube sponge has been able to soak up, three times as more water contamination in recent weeks. These sponges have been soaked in Sulfur and are demonstrating they can absorb large amounts of oil. The sponge, as known as CNT, may one day be used to clean up industrial accidents and oil spill clean ups. The carbon nanotube are hollow cylindrical structures composed of an individual sheet of carbon. Since these sponges have a strange chemical, thermal and mechanical properties, scientists have been studying the material for applications such as solar panels and soldiers body armor. Researchers are hoping this will be the answer to our waste water cleanup.
