Scientists work to purify Earth's water

EAST LANSING, Mich., June 25 (UPI) -- Two U.S. professors are leading an international effort to find ways of purifying the world's waters using membrane-based technologies.

Volodymyr Tarabara and Tom Voice of Michigan State University are leading a team of environmental engineers and scientists from the United States, France, Ukraine and Russia under a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation.

"Membrane-based technologies selectively remove things such as chemicals and particles from water," said Voice, a professor of civil and environmental engineering. "They are analogous to filters, except they remove things that are smaller and separate on the basis of chemistry and size. Our project is looking at developing new types of membranes and membrane systems that perform better in water treatment applications."

Membranes can produce ultra-pure water, removing nearly all impurities.

"They are used in some places to turn sea water into fresh water," Voice said. "The challenge is to do this cost effectively, and we seek to do this by improving their performance."

The team's strength, said Tarabara, is that each institution brings something unique to the table.