3D Printing to Tackle Pollution: Study
With the elevation in the number of motor vehicles on the streets, the composition of harmful pollutants has been continuously rising. This has led a serious issue of cutting down of the pollutants. Therefore, a number of studies have been continuously undertaken to identify the amount of pollutants in the atmosphere. However, a team of researcher from the United States adopted a 3D technology to tackle the issue. Here's how they did it.
A team of researchers from the US have used 3D printing technique that could help in countering pollution. By developing a handheld sponge-like structure, researches demonstrated how to use commercial 3D printers to create a structure with active chemistry.
They designed a small sponge-like plastic matrix by dispersing chemically active titanium dioxide nano particles through same filament that are used in the printing process of 3D-printed figures.
The team found that the pollutants break down when natural light interacts with titanium dioxide which has potential applications in the removal of pollution from air, water and agricultural sources. Led by Matthew Hartings from American university, he said "It's not just pollution, but there are all sorts of other chemical processes that people may be interested in. There are a variety of nano particles one could add to a polymer to print."
To demonstrate pollution mitigation, they placed the matrix in water and added an organic molecule as a pollutant. The pollutant was destroyed. Harnessing the power of 3D-printing, the researchers are already working on printing many exotic shapes to understand how printed structure affects the chemical reactivity.
