New method of water purification based on the particle-exclusion phenomenon
Ivan Klyuzhin1, Andrew Symonds, Jeffrey Magula
1Department of Bioengineering, Box 355061, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA.
Abstract:
Colloidal particles in suspension are excluded from the vicinity of various hydrophilic surfaces. On the basis of this phenomenon, a novel method of water purification is proposed and tested. Proof-of-concept is demonstrated using a custom-made extractor that collected clean water from the annular "exclusion zone" within a Nafion tube. Up to 99.6% of particles could be removed from the suspension. The experimental results suggest that particle exclusion may provide a new framework for water purification from both organic and inorganic matter, as well as from harmful pathogens.
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