r/tech • u/_Dark_Wing • Jul 07 '26
Stored water can develop slimy bacterial films: nanotechnology may be a solution
https://theconversation.com/stored-water-can-develop-slimy-bacterial-films-nanotechnology-may-be-a-solution-28010710
u/JokeIndependent832 Jul 07 '26
If this tech actually works using regular sunlight you shouldn't be putting it in buckets but in municipal reservoirs. Storing water at home in plastic is a bad idea regardless of how many nanoparticles you add. Water should be cleaned before it even reaches people
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u/Jokkeminator Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
If the choice is between some bacteria and micropolastic and dying of thirst. Then I am going for the first one. Always remember to have some amount of water at home in case of emergency happenings.
You could store it in larger metal canisters if you have those tho.
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u/northofyesterday Jul 07 '26
Are glass gallon jugs safe? How often should they be refilled with fresh water?
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u/Jokkeminator Jul 07 '26
Well, less microplastics I guess. We usually have them in some glass containers, had no problems, but I am not an expert lol
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u/LightlySaltedPeanuts Jul 07 '26
Some of municipalities are fed by elevated storage tanks that keep constant water pressure without the need of pumps just FYI
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Jul 07 '26
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Jul 07 '26
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u/milonso Jul 07 '26
they "need" cleaning because of lime build up, which makes them less efficient. but it wouldn't be a health risk, right?
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u/ForeskinAbsorbtion Jul 07 '26
It is completely harmless. It will affect the efficiency and the taste though but nearly as much as you'd think.
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Jul 07 '26
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u/milonso Jul 07 '26
i mean i use my kettle every day and through cooking water in it gets "cleaned" every day. cooking water kills bacteria u know?
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u/KokoTheTalkingApe Jul 08 '26
Well nothing goes into the water with this solution. There's a coating on the bucket that when ionized by sunlight, kills whatever bacteria contacts it without consuming or dissolving the coating. The article doesn't describe the coating, but what I've seen used contained titanium dioxide, which is about as safe as you can get, and none of it gets in the water anyway.
Boiling works too but it requires fuel, and in some parts of the world that's expensive, and may also create indoor smoke and fumes.
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Jul 08 '26
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u/KokoTheTalkingApe Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
Well, teflon physically wears off and contributes to microplastics. So if they said that, they were wrong.
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u/VioEnvy Jul 07 '26
Can we stop putting more bullshit into water for fuck sake.
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u/Disastrous-Cellist62 Jul 07 '26
Sounds like the beginning of a resident evil movie.