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Jan 28, 2016 / in Blog Articles

We at Filcon Filters are at the forefront of looking for better, more effective ways to clean up polluted water. And when it can be done and turn a profit at the same time we are all ears or should that be eyes. Anyway an article in Science News quoting from Nature Nanotechnology shows that a newly designed membrane uses thin amyloid protein fibers to pull heavy metals and radioactive wastes out of water. Specifically, the team converted milk proteins into fibers of durable amyloid protein. As an example of the membranes effectiveness in cleaning polluted water it was shown that they filtered out over 99.9 percent of lead pollutants from a contaminated solution, bringing the overall concentration of pollutant particles way below a measurable threshold of 2 parts per million.

The amyloids trapped particles of lead and mercury at a molecular site. Radioactive waste particles also got tangled in the membranes. And the membranes snagged gold contaminants, which the team found could later be recovered and purified. A membrane with less than 6 milligrams of amyloids could trap 100 milligrams of gold, the scientists report.  It is estimated that the technology would cost roughly one dollar per every thousand liters of water filtered. And a membrane can recover hundreds of times its own value in precious metals. Good news for those gold mines which are treating old waste dumps. Read more:  https://www.sciencenews.org/article/converted-milk-proteins-clean-pollution-strike-gold

The molecular mesh of lab-made amyloid proteins (in color above) can trap individual lead particles (silver) in polluted liquids.

The molecular mesh of lab-made amyloid proteins (in color above) can trap individual lead particles (silver) in polluted liquids.

Filcon Filters cannot offer this technology but can provide an extensive range of filtration equipment such as self flushing purging strainers, centrifugal separators, bag filter housings and cartridge filter housings etc.