Good old Sodium Chloride, or table salt as most know it, is
good for more than just flavoring your food.
Recently, chemists at Oregon State University have discovered that NaCl
can do so much more. It is actually a
major factor in the mass commercial production of some silicon nanostructures.
Silicon nanostructures are used in lots of things from medicine to electronics.
By melting and absorbing heat during certain parts of what is called
“magnesiothermic reaction” the salt allows the manufacturers to produce the
silicon nanostructures. The salt is then
dissolved in water and can then be recycled and used again.
I think
this is a great new tool because there is an abundance of NaCl, and it can be
manufactured easily and cheaply. This
will also allow for all of the products that were made using the silicon
nanostructures cheaper as well. This could really open up a lot of potential and
may even lead us to find a more cost-effective way to manufacture other
materials. The NaCl can also be recycled and reused which is always good news!
More Info at: http://www.enn.com/energy/article/46301
This is definitely a very interesting thing to read. What's amazing about this process is that salt can be renewed and this could lead to more cost-effective production of materials, like you said. Companies are always looking for ways to cut costs, and if this process can help cut prices while being Eco-friendly we could be on the verge of something big. I cannot wait to see what other purposes this simple compound could possibly have, as well!
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting, and I agree that it is a great new tool. When we think of recycling, we think of bottles, cans and paper, but this is a great example of recycling in a different way. It would be great to follow up and see what new materials manufacturers will try to create with NaCl, while being environmentally friendly and cutting costs!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of salt being used in this way! I agree with what everyone has said about how beneficial this outlet for salt is. While the fact that the salt can be recycled over and over during this process is a good thing, by finding a use like this for salt could help water bodies salinity levels stabilize. This might be more important in the long run than people think. As deforestation is becoming more and more predominant, the issue of mass erosion is cropping up all over the globe. Salt can be found in all water, even “fresh” water has more salt than one would think. As the water runs over the ground, it naturally picks up minerals, salt being one of them. While the oceans are vast enough that the salt buildup isn’t noticeable, small cut off lakes are showing signs of heading toward a lifeless habitat, much like the Dead Sea, as can be seen in the Salton Sea in California or (aptly named) Great Salt Lake in Utah.
ReplyDeletehttp://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=2968
I was slightly confused by what you meant with helping the water bodies salinity levels stabilize. I think it would be great if somehow this could assist with that problem, it is definitely something that should be addressed seeing as , according to the USGS, only 2.5% of earth's water supply is fresh water. I don't know if you were possibly referring to harvesting salt from the water and in this sense "recycling" it and stabilizing the salinity levels this way? However, I do think you have a very valid point.
DeleteThis is such a great discovery! The fact that simple table salt can be used for hundreds of other things is astounding. This is a great example of how the simplest things can have many other uses. This discovery makes me curious as to what other small thing can do such big tasks.
ReplyDeleteCarson this idea is wonderful and should be seen through. The Sodium Chloride is only used for simple daily uses and could be advanced to more technical uses. There is so much NaCl present in our world and it now can have a chance to be very important to society. This would allow many companies to manufacture goods cheap and cost-efficient. It is very interesting that what we know as salt can turn into many other uses. Recycling NaCl will open up many opportunities in the future. I would love to see more advances in the use of salt in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think it is amazing that salt can be made into silicon nanostructures because we as humans will not have to rely on just one resource to make electronics. That could mean that possibly won't use up all of the earth’s silicon. In today’s time we are discovering that the earth resources can eventually run out. Even though silicon is an abundant resource we still use it all. Another good thing is that it is recyclable and maybe electronics will become more biodegradable. I would be happy if it also made electronics cheaper because prices for electronics are high. It would other people and I will be more able to enjoy technology without empting are wallets.
ReplyDelete