Navigation Links
Water quality in orbit
Date:9/13/2009

SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 14, 2009 Space is not a fun place to get a stomach bug. To ensure drinking water is adequately disinfected, University of Utah chemists developed a two-minute water quality monitoring method that just started six months of tests aboard the International Space Station.

"Now they bring water back on the space shuttle and analyze it on the ground. The problem is there is a big delay. You'd like to be able to maintain iodine or silver [disinfectant] levels in real time with an onboard monitor," says Marc Porter, a University of Utah professor of chemistry and chemical engineering.

The new method involves sampling space station or space shuttle galley water with syringes, forcing the water through a chemical-imbued disk-shaped membrane, and then reading the color of the membrane with a commercially available, handheld color sensor normally used to measure the color and glossiness of automobile paint.

The sensor detects if the drinking water contains enough iodine (used on U.S. spacecraft) or silver (used by the Russians) to kill any microbes. The International Space Station has both kinds of water purification systems.

"Our focus was to develop a small, simple, low-cost testing system that uses a handheld device, doesn't consume materials or generate waste, takes minimal astronaut time, is safe and works in microgravity," says Porter.

As a spinoff, the test is being modified so it can quickly check water for the level of arsenic a natural pollutant in places like Bangladesh and the U.S. Southwest and Northeast and it can be adapted to quickly, inexpensively test for other pollutants.

"It is a general method," says Lorraine Siperko, a senior research scientist in Porter's laboratory. "It could be used on the ground for testing all kinds of water contaminants such as arsenic, chromium, cadmium, nickel and other heavy metals."

The method is easy to use and much cheaper t
'/>"/>

Contact: Lee Siegel
leesiegel@ucomm.utahedu
801-581-8993
University of Utah
Source:Eurekalert  

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3 4

Related biology news :

1. Freshwater supplies threatened in central Pacific
2. University of Oregon researcher finds that on waters surface, nitric acid is not so tough
3. Innovative civil engineering application promises cleaner waters
4. Safe water: simpler method for analyzing radium in water samples cuts testing time
5. Researchers find new taste in fruit flies: carbonated water
6. Low oxygen in coastal waters impairs fish reproduction
7. Extra gene copies were enough to make early humans mouths water
8. Acid rain has a disproportionate impact on coastal waters
9. HARDY rice: less water, more food
10. New microsensor measures volatile organic compounds in water and air on-site
11. Alternative methods proposed to detect pesticides and antibiotics in water and natural food
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
Water quality in orbit
Water quality in orbit
(Date:12/16/2009)... The new "Climate Knowledge and Innovation Community (Climate-KIC)" is ... Budapest. The Climate-KIC program brings together the expertise of ... a step-change in Europe,s innovation capacity to meet the ... to prepare for a new low-carbon society. In responding ... to how we produce, distribute, and consume goods, and ...
(Date:12/16/2009)... Bank is a vital source of financial and technical ... glance, this may not appear to be connected to ... of Earth,s environment are intrinsically linked. , Global climate ... poverty and advancing development in the poorest countries and ... , These factors have led to a growing demand ...
(Date:12/16/2009)... Bacteria inhabited our planet for more than 4 billion ... us by as many eons more. That suggests they ... from Tel Aviv University bacteria expert Prof. Eshel Ben-Jacob ... and Astronomy, grounded in the study of bacteria, presents ... why most people should not automatically opt for the ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Innovation boost to tackle climate change 2Innovation boost to tackle climate change 3ESA and World Bank move toward closer collaboration 2ESA and World Bank move toward closer collaboration 3ESA and World Bank move toward closer collaboration 4Bacteria wouldn't opt for a swine flu shot 2Bacteria wouldn't opt for a swine flu shot 3For Profit Health Care Contracts Jeopardizing the Strength of the VA Union Says 58552 1For Profit Health Care Contracts Jeopardizing the Strength of the VA Union Says 58552 2For Profit Health Care Contracts Jeopardizing the Strength of the VA Union Says 58552 3Intarcia Therapeutics Inc Presents Positive Results of ITCA 650 Phase 1b Study in Type 2 Diabetes at the European Association for the Study of Diabe 14300 1Intarcia Therapeutics Inc Presents Positive Results of ITCA 650 Phase 1b Study in Type 2 Diabetes at the European Association for the Study of Diabe 14300 2Intarcia Therapeutics Inc Presents Positive Results of ITCA 650 Phase 1b Study in Type 2 Diabetes at the European Association for the Study of Diabe 14300 3Intarcia Therapeutics Inc Presents Positive Results of ITCA 650 Phase 1b Study in Type 2 Diabetes at the European Association for the Study of Diabe 14300 4Intarcia Therapeutics Inc Presents Positive Results of ITCA 650 Phase 1b Study in Type 2 Diabetes at the European Association for the Study of Diabe 14300 5The National Park Foundation and Olympus Announce Winner of the First Ever Your Parks Video Challenge 14298 1The National Park Foundation and Olympus Announce Winner of the First Ever Your Parks Video Challenge 14298 2The National Park Foundation and Olympus Announce Winner of the First Ever Your Parks Video Challenge 14298 3The National Park Foundation and Olympus Announce Winner of the First Ever Your Parks Video Challenge 14298 4
... , A novel x-ray technique allowing the observation of ... been developed by a team of researchers from EPFL and ... research led by Professor Majed Chergui, head of EPFL,s laboratory ... PSI appear online December 11 in the journal Science ...
... impacts on the environment have reduced populations of ... this more apparent than in worldwide fisheries, where ... and populations of fish are on the brink ... the dire situation, captive breeding, the controlled breeding ...
... top food scientist at Queen,s University Belfast is playing a ... techniques to detect chemical contaminants in food and animal feed. ... and Land Use at Queen,s, will lead a team of ... from potentially fatal toxins in a wide range of foods ...
Other Biology News:Molecules in the spotlight 2Queen's University Belfast plays leading role in Europe-wide tests for safer food 2
(Date:12/17/2009)... Top 10 Health Industry Issues in 2010, puts healthcare cost control ... the year ahead. , ... New York, NY ... Top 10 Health Industry Issues in 2010, puts healthcare ... overarching theme for the year ahead. , , , , ,“Healthcare ...
(Date:12/17/2009)... the latest particle size distribution technologies, including the new C35 ... AAPS 2010. , ... (PRWEB) December ... American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists’ Annual Meeting, AAPS 2010 ... Booth 612 at AAPS 2010 to see the latest particle ...
(Date:12/16/2009)... of East Anglia (UEA) could contribute to the development ... generate clean electricity. , Published today by the leading ... Sciences (PNAS), the researchers have demonstrated for the ... by ,breathing rocks,. , The findings could be applied ... such as fuel cells, or ,bio-batteries, powered by animal ...
(Date:12/16/2009)... Corporation (Nasdaq: MATK ) today announced its financial ... October 31, 2009. Revenues for the fourth quarter were ... fourth quarter of fiscal 2008. Net income was $11.0 ... quarter of fiscal 2009, a 5% increase compared with ... year,s fourth quarter. The fourth quarter of fiscal ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Squeezing Costs out of Healthcare Tops PricewaterhouseCoopers' List of Health Industry Issues in 2010, 2Squeezing Costs out of Healthcare Tops PricewaterhouseCoopers' List of Health Industry Issues in 2010, 3Squeezing Costs out of Healthcare Tops PricewaterhouseCoopers' List of Health Industry Issues in 2010, 4Squeezing Costs out of Healthcare Tops PricewaterhouseCoopers' List of Health Industry Issues in 2010, 5Particle Size Distribution Technologies at American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting 2010 2'Rock-breathing' bacteria could generate electricity and clean up oil spills 2Martek Announces Fourth Quarter and FY 2009 Financial Results 2Martek Announces Fourth Quarter and FY 2009 Financial Results 3Martek Announces Fourth Quarter and FY 2009 Financial Results 4Martek Announces Fourth Quarter and FY 2009 Financial Results 5Martek Announces Fourth Quarter and FY 2009 Financial Results 6Martek Announces Fourth Quarter and FY 2009 Financial Results 7Martek Announces Fourth Quarter and FY 2009 Financial Results 8Martek Announces Fourth Quarter and FY 2009 Financial Results 9Martek Announces Fourth Quarter and FY 2009 Financial Results 10Martek Announces Fourth Quarter and FY 2009 Financial Results 11Martek Announces Fourth Quarter and FY 2009 Financial Results 12Martek Announces Fourth Quarter and FY 2009 Financial Results 13Martek Announces Fourth Quarter and FY 2009 Financial Results 14
... SERIES Episode #9 - HEART DISEASE September 19, 2007, NEW YORK, Sept. ... upcoming episode of the Charlie Rose Science Series will ... cause of mortality worldwide. A ... biology and genetics of the disease, prevention and treatment, the ...
... HAMBURG, Germany, Sept. 14 Indivumed announces today,that ... signed. Within,this agreement Indivumed will apply its automated ... targets in the,area of oncology. Indivumed will provide ... from its tumor biobank as well as specifically,collected ...
... Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI ) announced today that its ... Conference in London,will be webcast and may be accessed ... ) A member of Human Genome Sciences, senior ... Tuesday, September 18, 2007 at 2:20 pm London,Time, or ...
Other Biology Technology:Panel to Discuss the Far-Ranging Effects and Consequences of Heart Disease, Which is the Leading Killer in Both Men and Women in the United States 2
... The Lambda 10-2 is a ... Its impressive speed coupled with exceptionally ... ideal for research applications involving fluorescence ... or any application requiring rapid and ...
...
... Enzymatic method stops PCR carry-over contamination, ... to degrade PCR products from previous ... acid templates, which improves amplification ,Optimized ... reagents and GeneAmp instrument systems , ...
...
Biology Products: