A team of researchers has found a new and more effective way to clean water. It is a sponge-like material dubbed "Super Sponge", which can lead to the removal of pollution from water bodies, say the researchers.
According to KSTP TV, the "Super Sponge" is a special material with an ability to attract toxins within a few seconds. It is considered one of the cheapest ways to clean water by the researchers. The "Super Sponge" also kills harmful bacteria and fungal microbes. The researchers say that the "Super Sponge" is so powerful that quantities only as big as the size of a basketball can clean up all the impurities from a water body as big as Lake Como.
A study says that Mercury is one of the most toxic materials and can cause severe health problems on a long term basis. It is a daunting task to remove mercury from water, affecting over 1600 lakes and waterways in the state of Minnesota alone. The researchers said that apart from Minnesota and the US, mercury is a worldwide problem that contaminates the water bodies and makes them unsuitable for human usage.
According to Phys.org, curbing mercury emissions via the "Super Sponge" to a safer level that has been recommended by the US-EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) would lead to fewer cases of asthma attacks, heart attacks and a lesser number of premature deaths. This will eventually lead to at least $37 billion- $90 billion of annual benefits in terms of money, the study says.
In 2015, around $9.6 billion was estimated for keeping up to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards regulation recommended by the US-EPA. Researchers are also of the opinion that the "Super Sponge" technology has the capability to bring down the cost of keeping water and air pollution at bay.
As the study says that in addition to the improvement of water bodies' health, the "Super Sponge" technology will also be helpful in cleaning the air. New regulations can be inscribed based on the usage of this new technology, bringing massive improvements in aquatic life and public health.
