'Super Sand' Makes Water Safe to Drink

Access to clean drinking water is not a new problem in the world, and neither is the solution offered by Rice University researchers: sand. Except theirs is an improved version. The regular stuff has long been used to filter water, but it doesn't do a very effective job. Cue "super sand." It is plain, old sand with a graphite oxide coating, and it can get rid of toxins that ordinary sand can't touch, reports Fast Company. The best part: Sand is cheap, graphite is cheap, and the process is relatively easy and can take place at room temperature. Check out the video in the gallery. (More Rice University stories.)