Context:
In order to tackle the problem of water contamination and enhance access to clean and drinkable water, the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune has introduced a macro/microporous ionic organic framework – iVOFm – to clean polluted water.
Relevance
Facts for Prelims
Dimensions of the Article:
- Viologen-unit grafted organic-framework (iVOFm)
- Ion-Exchange Technique
Viologen-unit grafted organic-framework (iVOFm)
- iVOFm is a molecular sponge-like material that can clean polluted water by soaking up contaminants.
- There are carcinogenic pollutants in freshwater sources that are removed using sorbent materials and ion-exchange techniques, but these techniques are not effective enough. iVOFm aims to improve this.
- It uses a combination of electrostatics-driven ion-exchange and specific binding sites for targeted pollutants.
- It has a cationic nature and large pores, allowing for fast diffusion of pollutants.
- It is selective towards toxic pollutants and can be reused like a bath sponge.
Ion-Exchange Technique
- Ion-Exchange (IX) is a process of purifying water by replacing dissolved impurity ions with hydrogen and hydroxyl ions.
- Water softeners are similar to IX systems in that they can remove magnesium and calcium ions from water.
-Source: The Hindu
