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| Solar Powered Sterilization System developed by researchers at Rice University. |
For developing countries, the basic amenities are a rarity often taken for granted by those who are privileged enough to use them on a daily basis.
However, technological advancements, such as solar power systems, are giving hope that one day developing countries may have access to electricity, sewage treatment and other services.
Researchers from The Rice University Laboratory for Nanophotonics in Houston, have developed a solar-powered sterilization system that uses nanometerials to create steam from water. This system has the ability to convert as much as 80% of sunlight's energy to heat that is capable of killing germs. Researchers are optimistic that this system could help countries that lack sanitation.
In a report published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, when the system is used in conjunction with a specially designed autoclave, it is capable of sterilizing medical instruments and sanitizing human waste. The setup can reportedly handle the waste of a family of 4 with two treatments a week.
According to Naomi Halas, one of the team leaders, a professor and fellow nanophotonics researcher at Rice, the ability of the solar system to efficiency convert sunlight into steam, opens the door for sterilization systems that are independent of electricity.
The efficiency of the system originates from the use of light-harvested nanoparticles. These particles heat up so quickly that they instantaneously vaporize the water and create steam, all before the water even boils.
This system is more than 24% energy efficient. This is even more remarkable when compared to the photovoltaic solar panels, which have an energy efficiency of around 15%.
The heat and pressure created by the steam also sufficiently kills microbes as well as spores and viruses.
This article was derived from the headline "Focused Attention," which appeared in the October 2013 edition of Mechanical Engineering.
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