One tablet can sterilize one liter of river water, making it suitable for drinking in one hour or less.

A newly manufactured hydrogel sheet can potentially alleviate the global water shortage by quickly purifying contaminated water. The hydrogel sheet used as a water purifier can sterilize one liter of river water, making it suitable for drinking in one hour or less.

This multifunctional hydrogel sheet is easy to use, highly effective, and has the potential to be expanded to large-scale production.

People often use water boiling or pasteurization as the main way to purify water. However, this process is time-consuming and energy-consuming. In addition, without the resources of these processes, people in some parts of the world will not be feasible.

The special hydrogel produces hydrogen peroxide, which neutralizes bacteria with an efficiency of 99.999%. Together with activated carbon particles, hydrogen peroxide attacks the basic cellular components of bacteria and disrupts their metabolism.

This process does not require energy input. It also does not produce harmful by-products. After the water is purified, the hydrogel can be easily removed because it does not leave any residue.

Keith Johnston, a professor in the Mackaytha Department of Chemical Engineering, who co-led the project, said: “A highly vigilant graduate student Young Guo accidentally discovered these hydrogels while doing other things, that is, using sunlight to purify water.”

One tablet can sterilize one liter of river water, making it suitable for drinking in one hour or less. In addition to purifying water, hydrogel sheets can also improve a process called solar distillation.

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