The new clay -based material could offer an affordable shape of low waste to address water pollution using only sunlight

A low -cost material made of clay, common in the British soil, and vitamin B2 could someday help to clean pollution using only sunlight.

Developed by researchers from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CEB), the new material, flaponite, combines a clay base with compounds derived from vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, to create a sustainable photocatalyst. It is affordable, recyclable and is designed to work in water under visible light, offering a new promising approach to decompose environmental pollutants without strong chemicals or high energy use.

Research demonstrates how the material can break down model pollutants in laboratory conditions, a first crucial step in the development of real world’s water purification or green chemical processing technologies. The paper is published In the newspaper Catalysis Science and Technology. He was selected to appear on the cover of the magazine, a bold design created by Ellis, Fruk and graphic designer David Bainbridge.

The research was directed by Professor Ljiljana Fruk of the Bionano Engineering Group of CEB and was carried out in collaboration with the group of Professor Tijmen Euser in the center of Nanophotonics, Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics. Co-First Authors Matthew Ellis, Ph.D. last year. The student at the EPSRC CDT sensor, and Anna Melekhova, both of the Fruk group, led much of the experimental work.

“Flaponita shows how the combination of natural molecules with everyday materials can lead to practical solutions for cleaner water and cheaper chemistry,” Ellis said.

“Working in Flaponite has been exciting: it is gratifying to see something simple such as clay chemistry and vitamin B2, which makes a true environmental difference,” Melekhova added.

Unlike many traditional photocatalysts, which often depend on toxic or rare metals, flap is built from biocompatible materials. The team showed that it absorbs light and transfers energy efficiently to decompose pollutants and transform chemicals into a water -based system. In addition, as a solid dust, it can be easily filtered and reused, reducing waste.

“We are excited about Flaponite because it is simple, versatile and beautiful,” said Professor Fruk. “Creating the work of art was very fun: Art has the power to involve people with science in a way that words and data do not always achieve.”

The equipment is now exploring how the system could be adapted for specific pollutants or reactions, with possible applications in environmental cleaning, green chemistry and low energy manufacturing.