CAS Report Reveals Growth in Nanofiltration

Over the past 40 years, as water scarcity has become a concern around the globe, nanofiltration grew faster than other water purification methods including reverse osmosis and chemical disinfection, according to Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), a division of the American Chemical Society. In a new report, CAS reviewed journal publications and patents and found that while the numbers of publications about all types of filtration have increased, nanofiltration has grown the most since its emergence in 1987. Nanofiltration methods run water through a fine membrane to remove small solutes such as oil and pesticides. CAS found that U.S. authors penned more journal articles about nanofiltration than did scientists from other countries and that more patents were filed in China than elsewhere.