IIT Kanpur develops nano adsorbent technology to curb water pollution

The uniform cubical nano adsorbent is eco-friendly, reusable, bactericidal and multi-layered and is functionalised for selective removal of harmful bacteria from water.

Archana Raichur and Niraj Sinha from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, have invented a novel nano adsorbent having applications in waste water treatment. The nano adsorbent will help in selective removal of antibiotic and metal resistant bacteria from polluted water with a rapid method to synthesise. 

The uniform cubical nano adsorbent is eco-friendly, reusable, bactericidal and multi-layered and is functionalised for selective removal of harmful bacteria from water.  

IIT Kanpur Director Prof Abhay Karandikar said, “The world is reeling under several environmental hazards and water pollution is one of them. It bears direct implications on the health of humans and animals. At IIT Kanpur, our research in the field of nanotechnology is broad and diverse and this invention bears testimony to that. The invention in the form of these novel nano adsorbents will not only curb water pollution, but it will also be crucially beneficial for humankind.” 

Nanoparticles act as adsorbents to remove the pollutants from water. IIT Kanpur’s invention of the novel nano adsorbent is a significant step in this regard. Along with growing water pollution, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health issue that threatens the effective treatment of bacterial infections.  

Nano adsorbents can separate antibiotic-resistant bacteria from water 

It occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites stop responding to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk for fatality. The nano adsorbents developed at IIT Kanpur have unique physicochemical properties that can deactivate and separate the antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARBs) from water. 

The innovation has application in wastewater treatment which improves water filtration and removes pathogens or bacteria selectively from drinking water. It can be used as a tool against microorganisms without any side effects and is compatible to human body. It helps to overcome certain current challenges faced by available nano adsorbents such as storage life, corrosive effects, disposal effect, recyclable properties, degradation due to serum and enzymes and time consumption. 

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