Nano Specks of Rust Could Remove Arsenic

A research team from Rice University’s Centre for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology has discovered magnetic interactions between ultrasmall specks of rust that could help remove arsenic from drinking water. The rust particles used by the CBEN team are smaller than viruses. The team did repeated experiments with the rust particles, chemically known as iron oxide. They have found that hand-held magnets could pull the tiny particles out of the water, leaving the purified water.

Once the hand-held magnets start gently pulling on a few nanoparticles and get things going, the nanoparticles effectively work together to pull themselves out of the water. Because iron is well known for its ability to bind arsenic, the team found that the particles would reduce the amount of arsenic in contaminated water to levels well below the EPA’s threshold for U. S. drinking water. The researchers indicated that the method could be practical for settings where traditional water treatment technologies are not possible. The findings of the study were published in 10 November issue of journal Science.