Creation of Biofoam: Turning Salt Water into Drinking Water

    Washington University engineers demonstrate how they invented a biofoam that can quickly and inexpensively transform salt water into drinking water. They found a way to transform dirty water or seawater into drinking water using their biofoam and simulated sunlight. The bilayer biofoam is made of bacteria-produced nanocellulose and graphene oxide. The nanocellulose at the bottom of the biofoam acts as a sponge, drawing water up to the graphene oxide where rapid evaporation occurs. The resulting fresh water can easily be collected from the the steam. The researchers say their innovation could be a global game-changer.