Washington: Scientists have said that it would be possible to obtain clean water through the process of nanotechnology.

This process would involve removing toxic chemicals, bacteria, viruses, and other hazardous materials from water by using tiny particles of pure silica coated with an active material.

This method would be much more effective and at a lower cost than conventional water purification methods, according to researchers.

According to Peter Majewski and Chiu Ping Chan of the Ian Wark Research Institute, at the University of South Australia, the availability of drinking quality water is fast becoming a major socio-economic issue across the globe, especially in the developing world.

More than 6,000 people die everyday due to water-related diseases, including diarrhoea, worm infections, and infectious diseases. Organic pollutants from industrial waste water are a major cause of illness.

However, water purification technology is often complicated, requires sophisticated equipment and is expensive to run and maintain.

The Australian team has suggested that nanotechnology could provide a simple answer to the problem.

The team investigated how silica particles can be coated easily with a nanometre-thin layer of active material based on a hydrocarbon with a silicon-containing anchor. The coating is formed through a chemical self-assembly process; so, it involves only stirring the ingredients to make the active particles.

These active particles, known as Surface Engineered Silica (SES), were tested to demonstrate that they could remove biological molecules, pathogens such as viruses like the Polio virus, bacteria like Escherichia coli, and Cryptosporidium parvum, which is a waterborne parasite.

“The results clearly show that organic species can efficiently be removed… by stirring the coated particles in the contaminated water for up to one hour and filtering the powder,” the researchers said.

The team’s nanotech approach to water purification could help prevent disease and poisoning for potentially millions of people.