Water Filtration
A water filtration technique that normally cleans up agricultural chemicals is also effective at removing a toxin secreted by algae found in lakes and rivers, an Ohio State University study has found.
Engineers determined that the technique greatly outperformed other methods by removing at least 95 percent of a toxin secreted by Microcystis, a blue-green algae. Water filtration plants around the country already use the technique, which couples activated carbon with membrane filters.
Microcystis is native to most freshwater lakes and rivers, and secretes toxins that can cause liver damage in animals including humans. Worsening environmental pollution in Lake Erie during the last decade has caused algal blooms.
Some 13 million people rely on Lake Erie for their water supply, so Microcystis is a growing concern. Dangerous algal blooms have occurred across the country this summer, from Massachusetts to Washington.
August 25, 2006 6:59 AM | Category: Cleanup