Algae used to combat textile chemical pollution

A team of researchers at Germany's University of Duisburg-Essen has developed a water purification process that could be used to remove chemical pollutants from the textile industry.

The process uses the fossilised remains of a common type of algae known as diatoms, single-celled organisms that possess cell walls made of silica, which have a porous structure capable of absorbing a wide variety of pollutants.