Researchers have developed a process to remove contaminants from oil sands wastewater using only sunlight and nanoparticles that is more effective and inexpensive than conventional treatment methods. Frank Gu, a professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo and Canada Research Chair in Nanotechnology Engineering, is the senior researcher on the team that was the first to find that photocatalysis , a chemical reaction that involves the absorption of light by nanoparticles ...

MIT has developed a new and more efficient way to desalinate water. The process, called shock electrodialysis, filters water through a material made of small glass particles, according to an MIT News report. When an electric current is introduced to the system, the water divides into areas of high or low salt concentration. Once the current reaches a certain point, a shockwave is produced that divides the streams and allows the salty and fresh waters to be separated by a physical barrier. The pr...