BBC: Graphene-Based Sieve Turns Seawater Into Drinking Water

More than 95 percent of earth’s water is saltwater in the oceans. A research team with the University of Manchester has created a sieve that may remove salt from seawater. Testing is underway and “The sought-after development could aid the millions of people without ready access to clean drinking water,” reports Paul Rincon for BBC News. Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal patter, was isolated by another University of Manchester team in 2004, but so far industrial production of graphene-based barriers has been a challenge. The new sieve relies on a derivative called graphene oxide with a coating of epoxy resin. Another challenge was drilling holes less than a nanometer in order to screen and collect salt. Rincon describes how sieves for nanoparticles must account for specific properties of each mineral or chemical and how it interacts with water. – YaleGlobal