Purifying Petals

I see the future of water purification through rose-colored glasses – literally!

This is Sandra Tsing Loh with The Loh Down on Science.

Does your water purifier look dull and boring?

Meet Weigu Li and his research team from the University of Texas, Austin. They engineered a stylish new water purification system that resembles a black rose in a jar.

They put rose petals made of black paper in a small chamber. The petals are coated with a special material called polypyrrole. A stem-like tube collects impure water and passes it to the petals. The coating converts solar energy to heat.

The heat vaporizes the impure water, turning it into steam. While the impurities remain on the petals, the steam condenses into pure water.

The rose-shaped design increases absorption of sunlight and speeds up evaporation of the impure water. This portable purifier can remove salt, bacteria, and even metal ions from water.

And NO! It’s not expensive. Each flower-like structure costs less than two cents!
This enchanted rose is gonna do more than just symbolize love!