Desalination: an innovative solution to water shortage

Raul Acosta Murillo

Raul and Heber Torres

A prototype of a desalination biofilter was awarded first place at the National and Latin American fair of Humanities, Sciences, and Engineering (ATHENA).

This was presented by Raul Acosta Murillo, a UANL student at the School of Biological Sciences.

Extreme droughts are hitting Nuevo Leon and the region, these climate changes have sped up as a consequence of human behavior. These kinds of events will be more common than ever in the coming years and fresh, drinkable water is highly appreciated.

This served as motivation for Raul Acosta Murillo, who is now studying Biotechnology and Genomics. He attempts to find a solution and at the same time get the opportunity to participate with his biofilter prototype at the Science Fair.

“One of the main issues the world is facing has to do with freshwater shortage, meanwhile seawater is everywhere”, explained the award winner.

“Biofiltro de anclaje sílice en E. colli para la recuperación de iones de sodio en agua salada” is the name of the project with wich Heber Torres (project advisor) and Raul won first place.

New lines of research

Dr. Heber Torres, who is a specialist in genetic modification, said that there are endless possibilities of adding desalination qualities to this or other bacterias. This is just the beginning.

During the interview in the Synthetic Biology Lab, Heber says that one of the key facts of this field of study is the adaptability or module capabilities of genes. In this case, two modules; one that absorbs salt and the other that allows them to adhere to silica.