[bluemoon24]

The Queensland team have worked out how to eliminate viruses from water using nanofiltration – technology which pushes minute particles through extremely small pores.



The next difficult step is to remove viruses from air and blood, which could change the landscape of some major global diseases, said lead researcher Professor Huaiyong Zhu.



"If we can remove compounds from liquids and viruses from water then there may also be potential to remove HIV from blood," said Dr Zhu, from the Queensland University of Technology.



The extraction process has yet to be established but it could be similar to dialysis.



"And it could (also) be used to filter airborne viruses such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the avian flu virus, both of which are currently a major concern to the international community," he said.



The filters could be installed in buildings to capture bugs in the event of an outbreak.



The key to the technology, which has been patented by the university and called nano-mesh, is the tiny ceramic fibres which can process material at 10 times the speed of current filters.



It still captures more than 96 per cent of the unwanted particles.



But the future of nano-mesh relies on attracting an industry partner interested in developing the technology into a commercial product, Dr Zhu said.



"We have proven the technology works, so the initial research has been done," he said.



"We now need a partner to come on board and help us develop this technology into a product that has the potential to save the lives of people with HIV."



Designed for heavy-duty flow, the filter could also be used for water treatment and may also have applications in the pharmaceutical and food industries.



Kaynak: SağlıkHaber