Eco Factor: Activated carbon cloth promotes decomposition of pollutants.
Developed in the 1980s to protect British soldiers from chemical attacks, activated carbon cloth could have a number of other uses as well. Researchers at the University of Abertay Dundee (UAD) have discovered that the cloth is very effective in removing harmful compounds from air and liquids.
The research carried out in conjunction with Carbon Filter Technology has found that the material can be used to create reactive chemicals such as hydroxyl radicals. These radicals are highly unstable and react instantly with other pollutants, even at very low concentrations.
When combined with an oxidant, such as ozone, the filtration process becomes even more effective with the fabric’s tiny pores able to absorb organic molecules onto the surface and convert them into smaller molecules. The research team is proposing various other uses of the cloth that include using it in hospitals to filter antibiotic and drug waste from outgoing water.
Via: Gizmag
