How magnets and mathematics can help solve the current water crisis

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• Dr Ian Griffiths, University of Oxford
• Monday 21 March 2016, 14:00-15:00
• Lecture Theatre 2, Strathcona Building.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact David Smith.

Although water was once considered an almost unlimited resource, population growth, drought and contamination are straining our water supplies. Up to 70% of deaths in Bangladesh are currently attributed to arsenic contamination, highlighting the essential need to develop new and effective ways of purifying water. Since arsenic binds to iron oxide, magnets offer one such way of removing arsenic by simply pulling it from the water. For larger contaminants, filters with a spatially varying porosity can remove particles through selective sieving mechanisms. Here we develop mathematical models that describe each of these scenarios, show how the resulting models give insight into the design requirements for new purification methods, and present methods for implementing these ideas with industry.

This talk is part of the Applied Mathematics Seminar Series series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Applied Mathematics Seminar Series
• Lecture Theatre 2, Strathcona Building
• School of Mathematics events

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