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The 10 Chemical Innovations with the Highest Sustainability Potential

MOFs for Drinking Water Production – Metal Sponge Against Water Shortage Problem: According to UN reports, around 40% of the world's population is affected by water scarcity, and the trend is rising. Moreover, three out of ten people should not even have access to safe water sources. Goal: Especially in view of rising average temperatures due to climate change, it is becoming increasingly important to establish new ways of treating drinking water. Dry areas must also be supplied with sufficient clean drinking water. Solution: One possible approach is organometallic networks (MOFs). These are already used today to filter specific molecules from gases. In addition to gas purification, however, they also offer another field of application: they have great potential for collecting water from the air and absorbing it like a sponge. Omar Yaghi, a chemistry professor at the University of California in Berkeley, has described in his work that MOFs can enrich water even from dry desert air - and only release it again through the energy of sunlight. The aim is to achieve 2.8 liters of water per kilogram of MOF in a single day, at around 20% humidity. (Picture: Pixabay/ju1959jjj) arrow back arrow forward Image Zoom
MOFs for Drinking Water Production – Metal Sponge Against Water Shortage

Problem: According to UN reports, around 40% of the world's population is affected by water scarcity, and the trend is rising. Moreover, three out of ten people should not even have access to safe water sources.

Goal: Especially in view of rising average temperatures due to climate change, it is becoming increasingly important to establish new ways of treating drinking water. Dry areas must also be supplied with sufficient clean drinking water.

Solution: One possible approach is organometallic networks (MOFs). These are already used today to filter specific molecules from gases. In addition to gas purification, however, they also offer another field of application: they have great potential for collecting water from the air and absorbing it like a sponge. Omar Yaghi, a chemistry professor at the University of California in Berkeley, has described in his work that MOFs can enrich water even from dry desert air - and only release it again through the energy of sunlight. The aim is to achieve 2.8 liters of water per kilogram of MOF in a single day, at around 20% humidity. (Picture: Pixabay/ju1959jjj)
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