Removing and recovering pollutants from surface water

In sufficient quantities, nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus can create hypoxic conditions in surface water, promote excessive algae growth, and worsen coral bleaching. What if there was a way to not only remove nutrients and other pollutants but to recover the pollutants themselves?

Dr. Vikas Nandwana of Northwestern University discusses a nanocomposite sponge coating he and his colleagues developed for cleaning up oil spills, which allows the oil to be removed and recovered. This technology could be used to remove other pollutants from other media, such as soil and air, and research into a nanocoating targeting excess nutrients is already underway.