780 million people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water. Of this significant population, 137 million are exposed to high arsenic levels in water that are dangerously over the acceptable levels set by the World Health Organization. In West Bengal, India, the groundwater is highly polluted with arsenic which can cause skin diseases and cancer if consumed. Since 2013, nanotechnology has produced a water purifying system to provide clean and safe drinking water. The purification system is safe and reliable to use for large communities with high demand. Each purification system supplies clean water for between 50-100 families for 1-2 years. The way the nanotechnology purifies the water is through granules of ferric oxyhydroxide and a biopolymer, chitosan. Through absorbtion, iron oxides remove arsenic ions from the water and anchors them to the chitosan. The captured arsenic remains in the new material therefore leaving the water purified. The research group and creators of the purification system, InnoNano, reveal that, "[what goes on] in the atomic scale is not completely understood." But what is known is that the purification is effective and safe on large scale treatments. This purification system has a bright future and a clear potential to reduce water purification costs for inhabitants in polluted
Submitted by Naomi Barker
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