http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/09/removing-arsenic-from-water-with-plastic-bottles-and-nutrition-supplements.php?campaign=th_rss Removing Arsenic From Water With...Plastic Bottles and Nurtition Supplements?! By: Jaymi Heimbuch by TreeHugger
Picture: This picture shows a water bottle, which could be used to clean water contaminated with arsenic.
Summary: You read correctly. Plastic water bottles and a nutrition supplement can be used to remove arsenic from water to make it safe to drink. How is this possible? Pieces of plastic water, soda and other beverage bottles are coated with cysteine (an amino acid found in dietary supplements and foods). This combonation is stirred in arsenic-contaminated water. The process works like a magnet, having the cysteine bind or "magnetize" to the arsenic. Once you remove the plastic, you have drinkable water. How cool is that? Almost 100 million people in developing countries have their drinking sources contaminated with dangerously high levels of arsenic. This new way is a cheap way. In tests, the normal water with the arsenic in the water contained 20 ppm, which is TWICE the EPA standard in the US. After using the plastic bottles with the supplement, the water's arsenic contaminates was reduced down to only .2 ppb. The process is extremley easy, as well as cheap, which would allow practically anyone to clean their drinking water.
Opinion/Reflection: THIS IS THE COOLEST THING EVER! When I first saw the headline, I figured it was a super complex way that wouldn't work...but I guess it does! I think this is awesome, especailly for the people who need it in developing countries. There are 100 million people with poisoned water due to arsenic. These people have probably been drinking water from bottles, so they should have plenty around. Developing countries don't have money laying around to clean their water, so this practically free way is awesome for them. My personal connection to this could be that if we ever had our water polluted with arsenic or I was somewhere where the arsenic levels were a problem, I could clean it myself to make it drinkable.
Questions:
How could this become a problem, if any?
Do you think that this actually works/is used? Why or why not?
Do you think it is worth the time to clean the water, or should they jst get it from somewhere else?
How do you think scientists/someone came upon this?
Should other places use this that don't have "illegal" arsenic levels? Why or why not?
OPINION/REFLECTION: This is really confusing! I have never heard anything like it before! What I do not understand is how they retrieve the bottles back or do they? It is cool to see how we have found a fast, easy, and free way to deal with a problem such as this. Sam is right saying that we could clean the water ourself if we had the materials. It is pretty neat to see that just simply dipping this plastic in the water takes a good amount of the harmful pollutants out.
ReplyDeleteANSWER QUESTIONS: 1) The only possible problem could be that we would accidently leave the piece of useful plastic in the water which would be considered littering. Other than this, there are no major problems.
2)Yes I do believe that this works because it seems probable. If magnets attract metal than why can't plastic attract arsenic? If scientists say something is correct, they should be trusted for the most part.
3)I think it is worth the time to clean the water because we should use what is available or possibly available before we search high and low for other sources. Also, using plastic is an easier and quicker way to get clean water.
4)I think that scientists ran some random tests to see what would happen or just stumbled upon it while examining a microscope or such. Scientists usually discover things like this through accidents or trials.
5)I think places that don't have illegal levels should still use it just to make sure that the arsenic does not build up in the water or a person's body over time. If a place's water is at least slightly polluted, why not clean it up just a little more fo perfection?
ASK QUESTIONS:1)Do you think this would be money consuming over time? Why or why not?
2)Do you think that natives of the certain area all over the world could clean their water or would they both have the time, money, or such to do so?
3) Why do you think this interesting and possibly life hanging piece of information for certain people was not found until recently?
Opinion/Reflection: I think that this is really cool. I wouldv'e never thought of such a thing before. I think that's a great thing for the developing countries because it's cheap and it does the job. That's really great that just simple plastic can remove harmful contaminents. I agree with Sam about how if i ever had my water polluted with arsenic, I could clean it myself.
ReplyDeleteAnswers to some Questions:
1. There are no problems with this except you need to make sure you don't litter the plastic.
2. Yes I think this works because if it was tested for it to work, then I'm sure it works.
3. I think it is worth your time to clean the water because it's good to get all of the contaminents out before you drink it and if it's available, then you should use it.
Questions:
1. Why would it be bad if the arsenic wasn't removed?
2. Why would this be a cheap way to remove arsenic?
3. How would developing countries hear about this news?
Opinion/Reflection: I think that this process is really cool and interesting! I would have never thought that water bottles could do this. It's a good thing though because lots of people need clean water and this is an inexpensive way to get the arsenic out of their contaminated water. I do not really understand how it works though. But I'm glad it does. I agree with Sam how if our water ever got contaminated, then we could use the water bottles to clean it ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAnswers to Questions:
1. People might not understand this fully and they might think that you can litter the bottles and throw them in the water.
2. Yes, I do think it works because when we did the experiment about the pepper that did not attract to the toothpick covered in soap, the pepper floated away, it is kind of like this. Plus, we should trust our scientists.
3. I think that is is worth your time because lots of the countries who need clean water, such as Africa and India, this way is inexpensive and easy to remove the contaminates, so why not?
5. Yes, because it is an easy way to help them out and stop the diseases coming from their contaminated waters.
Questions:
1. How does this process work?
2. Would it be expensive if we told this to other countries and they used this?
3. Are we using this process?
Opinion/Reflection: I think this is a really cool find! This is a vital way to recycle used water bottles. When you are in are in a less fourtunate country, then you should help these people with our water bottles. I agree with Sam and this is so simple we could do it ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to questions:
1) This could possibly not work or the water bottles used might just get littered.
2)I think this does work because all the chemicals put into the plastic water bottles could cancel out the arsenic in the water.
3)I think the scientist were doing experiments with arsenic and with a chemical in a water bottle.
More Questions:
1)Why do you think water bottles could clean the water?
2)Could there be any problems with this? Why or why not?
3) Why is this method very easy and simple to do?