A bizarre substance known as "dry water," which resembles powdered sugar but is 95% 'wet' water could help fight global warming.
Scientists claim the powdered water will change the way chemicals are used and that it could even be used to soak up greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Each powder particle contains a water droplet surrounded by modified silica, which prevents the water droplets from combining and turning back into a liquid. This means it has an amazing ability to slurp up gases, which chemically combine with the water molecules to form what chemists term a hydrate.Dry water may also prove useful for storing methane and expanding the energy source potential of the natural gas. Dr Ben Carter, from the University of Liverpool, presented his research on dry water at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston. He said “There’s nothing else quite like it. Hopefully, we may see dry water making waves in the future.”
Another application demonstrated by Dr Carter’s team was using dry water as a catalyst to speed up reactions between hydrogen and maleic acid. This produces succinic acid, a key raw material widely used to make drugs, food ingredients, and consumer products. Usually hydrogen and maleic acid have to be stirred together to make succinic acid. But this is not necessary when using dry water particles containing maleic acid, making the process greener and more energy efficient.
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