• Scientists have found a novel use for wood — to remove toxic impurities from water.
• Engineers at the University of Maryland in the U.S. started with a block of linden wood, which they then soaked in palladium — a metal used in cars’ catalytic converters to remove pollutants from the exhaust.
• In this new filter, the palladium bonds to particles of dye.
• The wood’s natural channels, that once moved water and nutrients between the leaves and roots, now allow the water to flow past the nanoparticles for efficient removal of the toxic dye particles.
• The water, tinted with methylene blue, slowly drips through the wood and comes out clear.
• This could be used in areas where wastewater contains toxic dye particles.

Source: The Hindu