A superhydrophilic filter has shown the potential to remove more than 90% of hydrocarbons, as well as all bacteria and particulates, from contaminated water produced by the controversial process known as hydraulic fracturing (fracking). The tests at shale oil and gas wells in the US were part of a study by the Energy Safety Research Institute at Swansea University in collaboration with researchers at Rice University. The work lead by Professor Andrew Barron and his colleagues turns a ceramic membrane with microscale pores into a superhydrophilic filter that almost completely eliminates the common problem of fouling.
