Chinese scholars have developed nanomaterials that can remove heavy metal pollution

The addition of antibiotics and arsenic to the feed promotes pig growth, but these elements can adversely affect the environment and human health through pig urine emissions. Recently, Wu Zhengyan of the Institute of Technology and Biology of the Hefei Institute of Material Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a nanocomposite that can remove water or soil pollution from "pig emissions" and be easy to recycle. The results, published in environmental science: Nano, the core journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry,
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, antibiotics and arsenic have been widely added to pig feed in recent years to improve disease resistance and promote pig growth. Studies have shown that these elements remain only about 10% in pigs and are safe to eat. However, about 90 per cent of the rest will be released into the environment, causing heavy metal pollution to water, soil and vegetation and threatening human health, a problem that has become one of the key bottlenecks restricting the sustainable development of the aquaculture industry.
Recently, Wu Zhengyan's team of researchers used amine-based functional triglycerides and manganese dioxide to develop a new type of nanocomposite that can simultaneously remove antibiotics and arsenic from pig urine solutions or soil. The material is easy to recycle after use, has high biosecurity and good application prospect, and also provides a new way of thinking for dealing with heavy metal pollution from aquaculture industry.
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