Tiny bots mop up mercury in water

摘要

TINY robots made using pollen could one day be used to clean contaminated water. Waste water from some factories contains mercury, which is toxic. It can be removed in treatment plants, but this is time-consuming and expensive. Martin Pumera at the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, in the Czech Republic and his team are working on a low-cost alternative. Pollen grains adsorb mercury, so the researchers are seeking ways to turn them into tiny mercury-removing robots.