一项令人惊喜的净化水质新技术 | 经济学人早报精选

文 / 王不留（微信公众号：考研英语笔记）

 

No filter: tablet purifies river water

For many in poor countries, even the simple act of quenching one’s thirst is perilous. Millions perish each year from drinking contaminated water. Frustratingly, all current purification methods come with a hitch that causes their restorative promise to vanish like a mirage. The simplest, boiling, takes too much energy. Chemical disinfectants can taint water with carcinogens. And filters collect scum and need regular replacing.

But a new method, described in the journal Advanced Materials, may solve the problem. It comes as a little round tablet made of a porous material called hydrogel. In less than one hour, one hydrogel tablet destroys virtually all bacteria in a litre of river water. It requires no energy and leaves no harmful by-products behind. If the engineers can adapt the tablets to kill even more bugs as well as viruses, they could replace current disinfection methods. That’s a lot of hype, but many will be saved if hydrogel tablets live up to it.

No filter: tablet purifies river water

不用过滤器：片剂净化河水

For many in poor countries, even the simple act of quenching one’s thirst is perilous. Millions perish each year from drinking contaminated water. Frustratingly, all current purification methods come with a hitch that causes their restorative promise to vanish like a mirage. The simplest, boiling, takes too much energy. Chemical disinfectants can taint water with carcinogens. And filters collect scum and need regular replacing.

对于贫困国家的许多人来说，即使简单的解渴行为也存在危险。（这些国家）每年有数百万人因为饮用受污染的水而丧命。令人沮丧的是，目前所有净化方法都有着缺陷，让健康饮水的承诺像海市蜃楼一样消失。最简单的烧水要消耗太多能量。化学消毒剂会导致致癌物质污染水质。过滤器会收集浮渣，需要定期更换。

quenching 解 ;  止 ;  扑灭 ;  熄灭 ;  quench的现在分词 

perilous 危险的 ;  艰险的 

contaminated water 污染水 

come with 伴随…发生 ;  与……一起供给 ;  与……一起来 

restorative 恢复健康的 ;  促使康复的 ;  整容的 ;  整形的 ;  有助恢复健康的事物 ;  滋补品 

too much 太多 ;  过分 

disinfectants 消毒剂 ;  杀菌剂 ;  disinfectant的复数 

taint 污点 ;  玷污 ;  污染 ;  腐坏 ;  使腐坏 ;  玷污，败坏 

carcinogens 致癌物 ;  carcinogen的复数 

scum 渣滓 ;  浮渣 ;  浮沫 ;  浮垢 ;  败类 ;  形成浮垢 ;  覆盖着浮渣

But a new method, described in the journal Advanced Materials, may solve the problem. It comes as a little round tablet made of a porous material called hydrogel. In less than one hour, one hydrogel tablet destroys virtually all bacteria in a litre of river water. It requires no energy and leaves no harmful by-products behind. If the engineers can adapt the tablets to kill even more bugs as well as viruses, they could replace current disinfection methods. That’s a lot of hype, but many will be saved if hydrogel tablets live up to it.

然而，《Advanced Materials（先进材料）》期刊描述的一种新方法也许能解决问题。它是由一种叫作水凝胶的多孔材料制成的小的圆形片剂。在不到一小时的时间里，一颗水凝胶片剂几乎可以消灭一升河水中的所有细菌。它不需要能源，也不会留下有害的副产品。如果工程师能够改造片剂，杀死更多细菌和病毒，它们就可以取代目前的消毒方法。这是一种大规模的宣传炒作，但如果水凝胶片剂能够做到这点，很多人就会得救。

new method 新方法 

solve the problem 解决问题 

less than 少于 ;  毫不 ;  完全不 ;  一点都不 

even more 更 

as well as 以及 ;  既…又… ;  除…之外 ;  此外 

live up to 不辜负 ;  遵守 ;  符合

王不留（wbliu85）注：

1.

Advanced Materials是工程与计算大学科、材料与化学大领域的顶尖期刊。在国际材料领域科研界上享誉盛名！其引领着先进材料领域的研究方向与潮流，具有鲜明的指引作用。该期刊接收与材料领域相关的顶尖科研成果，其接收率只有10%-15%，大量稿件被拒稿。 

Advanced Materials在google公司对八大领域（谷歌将所有学科及方向分成八大类大学科：商业经济与管理、材料与化学、工程与计算科学、健康与医药科学、人类文学与艺术、生命与地球科学、物理与数学、社会学）所有期刊的排名中。Advanced Materials在工程与计算科学大学科领域所有杂志中排名第一！在材料与化学大学科领域所有杂志中排名第四。

2.

水凝胶（Hydrogel）是一类极为亲水的三维网络结构凝胶，它在水中迅速溶胀并在此溶胀状态可以保持大量体积的水而不溶解。 

由于存在交联网络，水凝胶可以溶胀和保有大量的水，水的吸收量与交联度密切相关。交联度越高，吸水量越低。这一特性很像一种软组织。水凝胶中的水含量可以低到百分之几，也可以高达99%。凝胶的聚集态既非完全的固体也非完全的液体。固体的行为是一定条件下可维持一定的形状与体积，液体行为是溶质可以从水凝胶中扩散或渗透。 

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