Researchers at Cornell University have found a new polymer that can purify water in seconds. The findings, published in the scientific journal Nature, “demonstrate the promise of porous cyclodextrin-based polymers for rapid, flow-through water treatment,” the researchers said. “The discovery could revolutionize the water-purification industry, make the process cheaper, and involve minimum energy,” RT recently reported.

How promising is this approach? The study noted:

The polymer can be regenerated several times using a mild washing procedure with no loss in performance. Finally, the polymer outperformed a leading activated carbon for the rapid removal of a complex mixture of organic micropollutants at environmentally relevant concentrations.