A team of US engineers have utilised a proof-of-concept 3D printed technique to create an aerogel that could aid water treatment.

According to an article on The Engineer, the study, conducted by researchers from the University of Buffalo, sees the team using a combination of 3D printing and freeze-drying to make an aerogel comprised of graphene and selected biopolymers.

An aerogel is a material where the liquid component of the gel has been substituted with a gas, whilst graphene is a form of carbon.

Tests showed that the aerogel removed dyes and solvents such as cationic methylene blue and hexane respectively. It also removed metals that are found in US water systems such as chromium.

“The goal is to safely remove contaminants from water without releasing any problematic chemical residue,” said Nirupam Aich, who is a study co-author and an assistant professor of environmental engineering at the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. 

“The aerogels we’ve created hold their structure when put in water treatment systems, and they can be applied in diverse water treatment applications.”