Washington DC [US], July 22 (ANI): Using electrochemistry to separate distinct particles inside a solution (also known as electrochemical separation) is an energy-efficient technique for environmental and water remediation: the process of cleansing contaminated water. However, while electrochemistry requires less energy than other, similar technologies, the electric energy is generally sourced from nonrenewable sources such as fossil fuels.
Chemists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated that water remediation can be powered in part тАФ and perhaps even exclusively тАФ by renewable energy sources. Through a semiconductor, their method integrates solar energy into an electrochemical separation process powered by a redox reaction, which manipulates ionsтАЩ electric charge to separate them from a solution like water.
Using this system, the researchers successfully separated and removed dilute arsenate тАФ a derivative of arsenic, which is a major waste component from steel and mining industries тАФ from wastewater.
This work represents proof-of-concept for the applicability of such systems for wastewater treatment and environmental protection.
тАЬGlobal electrical energy is still predominantly derived from nonrenewable, fossil-fuel-based sources, which raises questions about the long-term sustainability of electrochemical processes, including separations. Integrating solar power advances the sustainability of electrochemical separations in general, and its applications to water purification benefit the water sector as well,тАЭ said lead investigator Xiao Su, a researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. (ANI)
