Page 64 - Blog
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June 10, 2011Check out this interesting article from the NIST Tech Beat explaining how nature may be manufacturing silver nanoparticles all by itself. The article also discusses some ideas as to why it is that silver is such a good antibacterial agent.
Read the NIST article here. -
June 08, 2011Move over Copernicium! A collaboration of scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California (one of our customers - we're so proud!), and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Russia are being recognized today for officially creating two new elements! Scientists first created these elements in 1999 and 2000, respectively, by slamming lighter atoms together to see if they would stick. After a lengthy experimentation and review process by the International Unions of Pure and Applied Chemistry and Physics they are now certified and ready to take their rightful spots as the heaviest members of the periodic table. Both of these elements are radioactive and exist for less than a second before decaying into lighter atoms. For now the elements are being referred to by their element numbers, 114 and 116, since the discovers are still in the process of submitting their recommendations. It's probably a good thing that the naming process is limited only to the researchers
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June 06, 2011After our last post discussing how experiments with carbon nanotubes (CNT’s) might greatly improve the effectiveness of reverse osmosis desalination now comes a new report from the Institute of Physics that shows researchers are getting closer to making this a reality. Already over a billion people do not have regular access to clean water and the problem will likely get worse as the demand for drinkable water is expected to grow dramatically in the near future. With natural sources increasingly scarce, this urgent need means there is an intense global interest in any potentially viable forms of water purification.
Right now the main issues preventing RO desalination on a large-scale basis are that the membranes used to perform seawater to freshwater separation do not remove salt ions with enough efficiency and they also require great amounts of energy (and therefore expense) in order to purify the water. Jason Reese, a Professor of Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics at the University of -
June 01, 2011
One of the most promising new frontiers in filtration technology involves infusing different membrane types with nanomaterials in order to improve performance or to pass along certain material attributes. Here we will look into one prominent example from recent years, the incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into ultrafiltration membranes used in water treatment. We’ll also look at how our stirred cells have aided in this specialized membrane manufacturing process. First off, what is there to gain by using CNT’s to manufacture water treatment membranes? While scientists have identified several potential advantages for CNT implementation, since the process is still in the R&D phase they have not necessarily been proven in all cases. One key possible benefit is that membranes made with these materials would be much stronger than traditional membranes, thus reducing instances of membrane breakage and fouling, two problems that contribute significantly to high maintenance costs in water
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May 24, 2011
An increase in salinity levels at the North Reverse Osmosis Water Plant in Kill Devil Hills (yes, that’s the town name) that had been creating stress for some local officials has been explained in a recent study. Researchers from nearby Duke University found that the rising salinity levels at this coastal aquifer are the result of fossil seawater and not seawater intrusion, as had been feared. Since the well’s installation in the late 1980’s salinity has more than doubled from about 1,000 mg/L to about 2,500 mg/L. There was much cause for relief however, when researchers were able to attribute the rise to fossilized seawater and not to seawater leaking in from the coast.
According to the director of the study, Duke Professor Avner Vengosh, knowing the source of the salinity increase is important because fossil seawater raises salinity, “At a relativelyf slow and steady rate that is more manageable and sustainable than the rapid increase we’d see if there was modern-day seawater intrusion.” -
May 16, 2011If you haven’t taken a look at the semifinalists for the Google Science Fair you still have a few days left to view the submissions and cast your votes! At stake is a $50,000 scholarship from Google, along with an opportunity to apprentice with Google or one of their partner organizations. There are 60 very interesting entries spread across three categories and covering just about every discipline of science. Suffice to say that the projects went beyond the paper-mache volcano. Some examples include:
- A portable solar autoclave for easy sterilization of medical tools in the third world.
- A proposal to utilize gold nanoparticles for the treatment of prostate cancer.
- Building a conductometric biosensor from scratch to detect food-borne illnesses such as Salmonella, using readily available materials.
- A new type of farm implement designed to harvest and thresh crops that requires little to no fuel and can be built from easily available resources and materials.
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April 27, 2011It looks like Mailchimp, our email newsletter service, grabbed itself by the tail earlier today and accidentally resent an old newsletter to our subscriber list. Our apologies if you received this blast from the past and were understandably perplexed by it. We're working with them now to make sure it doesn't happen again. Rest assured that the last thing we want to do is overload your already bursting inboxes!
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April 25, 2011
Social Media at Work - Isolating the Source. It seems the infamous grotto at the Playboy mansion may be even more sordid than you would have imagined. Over the weekend the Centers for Disease Control released a report detailing their investigation into a February outbreak that infected more than 120 guests of the legendary party locale. They determined that the culprit was none other than the Legionella bacterium – a waterborne pathogen commonly found in spas, showers, and humidifiers which can cause Legionnaire’s Disease or Pontiac Fever. We’ve previously discussed how our polycarbonate membrane filters are used by the CDC to detect samples of the legionella bacterium. In addition to traditional detection methods, the CDC also turned to social media in this case to track down those afflicted and to uncover the source of the problem. Through the use Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and online polling the CDC was able to identify that there was an outbreak and deduce that it likely originated
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April 15, 2011We made a new resource to show you which of our filters and equipment can be used for various Standard Methods and procedures from the likes of the EPA, NIOSH, ASTM and more. These procedures cover applications ranging from detecting pseudomonas in water to aviation fuel testing.
This guide lists the item category as well as precisely which filters to use for each application. We also included the links to particular method whenever possible – to make your research a little easier and because we like you.
Do you have an application that hasn’t been covered yet? Is there a standard we missed? Tell us about it and we’ll make sure to credit you for your righteous knowledge! -
April 12, 2011
This week we added another new item to our catalog - Quartz Fiber Filters. These filters are especially useful for high temperature filtration applications since they can withstand temperatures over 500°C. Other nice things about these filters include their indefinite storage life and their high chemical resistance. Right now we have grades QR100 and QR200 available in diameters ranging from 21mm to 150mm.
