Detection of Impurities in Water Using Nanostructures

Abstract

Saltpeter negatively affects the human body, it contributes to the formation of a dangerous substance in the blood – methemoglobin, which leads to oxygen starvation. An increase in methemoglobin up to 60% leads to a fatal outcome. Also, the excess of saltpeter in water causes poisoning, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, excretory and endocrine systems, the destruction of tooth enamel and the appearance of caries. Saltpeter can be determined in water by chemical analysis of the liquid, as well as using nanomaterials. These structures have a sufficiently highly developed adsorption surface, this property helps to detect the presence of saltpeter in water, and at the same time to clean it. The results of the studies made it possible to establish that after passing water with an admixture of saltpeter, the concentration of the latter decreased. Thus, the theoretical calculations showing the possibility of saltpeter adsorption by carbon nanotubes were confirmed. The obtained results and the applied methods can be used in conducting complex high-performance water examinations.