A 2007 study found that over 137 million people in more than 70 countries are affected by arsenic poisoning due to their drinking water. Arsenic is a toxic heavy metal that affects the skin, liver, lungs, and kidneys, and can lead to death. A better water filtration membrane is needed to reduce the number of people affected by arsenic poisoning. Our approach to this problem is to create a membrane with specific nanoparticles embedded into them that will target arsenic. LDH has been tested and has shown to be a promising adsorbent for the removal of trace levels of arsenic. In order to achieve a membrane that has LDH integrated within the fibers, we will electrospin the solution with the LDH precursors in it then use a basic solution to precipitate the LDH. Once this is done the LDH will be embedded within the fibers of the membrane.
-Tanner Rosenthal