THE TOXIN TERMINATOR

摘要

This simple-looking white powder can get mercury-contaminated water 100 times as clean as any other method, for about half the cost. Each grain is actually a carefully engineered molecular sponge designed to absorb more than half its weight in mercury. The product of more than 15 years of research, Thiol-SAMMS is made of silica molecules assembled into a spongelike pattern of holes, packing the surface area of a football field into just one teaspoon. Sulfur atoms, which can bind poisonous mercury, coat each of the minuscule holes. When the powder meets a tainted liquid, mercury seeps inside and bonds with the sulfur to instantly form a stable powder safe for landfills-the first time anyone's been able to send mercury waste to the dump without an expensive separate step to neutralize the toxin.