Graphene turning whisky into water
YOU’VE heard of turning water into wine, but how about turning whisky into water... sort of.
Scientists at the University of Manchester have demonstrated the capabilities of graphene-oxide membranes – by producing clear whisky.
Previously, the membranes were shown to be completely impermeable to all solvents except for water, but a research team at the National Graphene Institute and School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science have tailored the membrane to allow all solvents to pass through.
The utltra-thin membrane can still be used to sieve out the smallest of particles, such as various organic dyes as small as a nanometre dissolved in methanol.
Professor Rahul Nair, who is leading the research team, said: “Just for fun, we even filtered whisky and cognac through the graphene-oxide membrane. The membrane allowed the alcohol to pass through but removed larger molecules, which gives the amber colour.
“The clear whisky smells similar to the original whisky but we’re not allowed to drink it in the lab, however it was a funny Friday night experiment.”
This new and efficient separation process minimises the consumption of energy, which is in high demand – according to Professor Nair by 2030 the world will consume around 60 per cent more energy than it does today.
Dr Yang Su, who led the experiment, added: “The developed membranes are not only useful for filtering alcohol, but the precise sieve size and high flux open up new opportunities to separate molecules from different organic solvents for chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
“This development is particularly important because most of the existing polymer-based membranes are unstable in organic solvents, whereas the developed graphene-oxide membrane is highly stable.”
The membranes have attracted a great deal of attention for their ability to filter salty water and make it drinkable, a potential solution to water scarcity and drought.
Graphene is stronger than steel, flexible, bendable and one million times thinner than a human hair.
For more information visit graphene.manchester.ac.uk.