A little bit of sunshine and a compound made out of rare earth elements may hold the answers to purifying polluted rivers criss-crossing the country.

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru have developed a novel ‘reusable’ nano-composite material, with Cerium being the crucial compound in it, which can degrade microbes and chemical dyes that are among common effluents in rivers.

Published in the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Researchrecently, the scientists looked at ceria (CeO) a cheap rare earth oxide with properties that include a strong absorption of ultraviolet light (this property also sees it being widely used for UV-blocking and radiation shielding agent)............Read more

Source: The Hindu