. Earth Science News .
Nano World: Nano-Sponges For Toxic Metals

SAMMS absorbs large quantities of metals without creating secondary waste, and is disposable as nonhazardous waste. By "reversing" some of the features of SAMMS, the material can also be used for the controlled release of chemical compounds such as biocides. Image credit: PNNL
  • See 6-minute Real Media video on SAMMS.
  • Read technical explanation of the technology.

  • New York (UPI) Nov 12, 2005
    Microscopic particles honeycombed with holes only nanometers wide soon could help purify industrial runoff, coal plant smoke, crude oil and drinking water of toxic metals, experts told UPI's Nano World.

    The particles, made of glass or natural diatomaceous earth, are 5 millionths to 50 millionths of a meter wide and filled with holes a thousand times smaller. The surfaces of these particles can bear a variety of flavors or coatings that soak up specific toxic metals -- for instance, sulfurous organic coatings attract mercury, while coppery organic coatings bind to arsenic and radioactive metals known as actinides.

    The particles' spongy nature gives them an incredible 6,400 square feet to nearly 11,000 square feet of surface area per gram of material with which to draw in toxins.

    Physical chemists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., developed the particles, known as SAMMS -- or self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous supports -- to remove mercury from oil in nuclear facility pumps last decade.

    Over the past three years, the scientists have vastly broadened the potential applications of the particles and partnered with companies to bring them into greater use.

    "We have a technology that can be used to address a large number of emerging water treatment problems, with arsenic and mercury as just a couple of examples," said Richard Skaggs a civil engineer at PNNL.

    "For example, in Washington, D.C., and certain other parts of the country, radium in the water is a problem, and many existing conventional technologies really cannot move it or other contaminants down to acceptable levels. These nanomaterials offer a new opportunity."

    The SAMMS particles can not only soak up toxic metals, but once disposed of in landfills, the particles also should prove too large for microbes to consume. Keeping microbes clean of toxins helps ensure the metals do not enter the ecosystem and become concentrated, for instance, in fish, Skaggs explained.

    "We see a cost reduction of a factor of 10 when it comes to saving landfill space because only very, very small amounts of material are needed," Skaggs added.

    The lab is partnering with Steward Advanced Materials in Chattanooga, Tenn., to help clean mercury from coal-plant exhaust gas emissions, to help meet Environmental Protection Agency requirements. The lab also is partnering with Perry Equipment Company, also known as PECO, in Mineral Wells, Texas, to remove naturally occurring mercury from the water found in offshore oil wells to ensure the water can safely get discharged back into the ocean.

    Other projects the lab is collaborating with companies on include removing arsenic from drinking water and reducing the amount of mercury in crude oil to 5 parts per billion, because mercury concentrations as low as 25 parts per billion in oil can foul up the catalysts employed in oil refining.

    The research with PECO is furthest along, Skaggs noted, and the lab hopes by next year to start engineering ways PECO can use SAMMS in products. Future research involves making production more efficient and testing other materials as potential SAMMS particles, such as carbon, which could prove durable in wide extremes of temperature and acidity.

    The particles also could find use in ultra-sensitive toxin detectors, Skaggs said.

    "We believe SAMMS provides a potential to implement a revolutionary change in the way we approach remediation of toxic substances," said Bob Jones, managing partner at Energy & Environmental Enterprises in Atlanta.

    Related Links
    SpaceDaily
    Search SpaceDaily
    Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express

    Thick Smog over Beijing, China
    Greenbelt MD (SPX) Nov 09, 2005
    Thick pollution obscured the sky over Beijing and nearby regions on November 4, 2005. According to news reports, the city's pollution index reached the highest level on the scale between November 4-5, and residents were warned to spend as little time as possible outdoors.







  • Harsh Winter Arrives In Quake-Hit Areas
  • India Proposes Setting Up Disaster Preparedness Centre For South Asia
  • Indian Soldiers Working To Open Fourth Crossing Of Kashmir Border
  • UN Says It Can Keep Pakistan Quake Survivors Alive In Bitter Winter

  • Southern Ocean Search For Climate Futures
  • Water Vapor Feedback Is Rapidly Warming Europe
  • Fewer Days Of Ice On Northern New England Rivers In Recent Years
  • Western States To Host First Test Of Carbon Sequestration In Lava Rock

  • UF Researcher: Global Warming Dramatically Changed Ancient Forests
  • UCSD Unveils Center For Earth Observations And Applications
  • AstroVision Sees Bright Future In Asia
  • Software Fills In Missing Data On Satellite Images

  • Nanotechnology Center Makes Flexible Solar Cell Breakthrough
  • Ethanol Fuelling The Future For Public Transport: Experts
  • Clean Energy Soon Indispensable As Oil Runs Low: Experts
  • Madagascar Energy Firm Announces Green Fuel Programme

  • Young And Healthy Most Affected By H5N1
  • Report Offers Tips To Stem Pandemics
  • China Concerned, Reports New Outbreak
  • FluWrap: China Warns Of Disaster

  • Clay Material May Have Acted As 'Primordial Womb' For First Organic Molecules
  • Researchers Devise Dinosaur Classification Method
  • Giant Ape Lived Alongside Humans
  • "Godzilla" Crocodile Had Head Of A Dinsosaur, Fins Like A Fish

  • Nano World: Nano-Sponges For Toxic Metals
  • Thick Smog over Beijing, China
  • Health Warning As Beijing Pollution Hits Worst Level
  • Lagos Seals Up Rubber Recycling Firm Over Pollution Threat

  • One, Two, Threes not A, B, Cs
  • California Scientists Double Volume Of Data In NIH Biotech Repository
  • Flipped Genetic Sequences Illuminate Human Evolution And Disease
  • Color Perception Is Not In The Eye Of The Beholder: It's In The Brain

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement