An electrical- and chemical-free approach using microfilter and Ag-based catalysts for emergency drinking water treatment.

In emergency cases such as disasters, supplying enough safe drinking water is one of the most urgent needs for human life. This research aimed to develop a chemical- and electricity-free drinking water treatment system based on microfiltration and catalysts of Ag and Ag-TiO-SiO coated on glass spheres in both dark and sunlight conditions. The system was applied to treat raw water samples taken from five rivers in Vietnam, simulated floodwater samples with high turbidity and concentration, and real flooding water samples.

Photocatalytic disinfection of and degradation of natural organic matters in river water using titanate nanotubes.

In this study, we synthesized and modified titanate nanotubes (TNTs) under different conditions of acid rinsing and calcination. The produced materials were then characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, temperature programmed desorption, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis. The activity of material was evaluated via its application for disinfection of and removal of natural organic matters (NOMs) in river water.

Morphological and elemental properties of urban aerosols among PM events and different traffic systems.

Morphology and elemental composition of individual fine ambient particles varied among types of PM events and between two different urban environments having different major transportation systems (gasoline/diesel vehicles versus motorcycles). Carbonaceous particles were the most dominant in PM events, whereas S-rich particles were the highest in non-events at urban Gwangju in Korea. The aged soot, semi-volatile organic (SVO), and non-volatile organic (NVO) particles were more abundant in the polluted-long range transport (LTP) event than those in the dust-LTP event and non-event.