NANOSTRUCTURED SAND, PROCESS FOR PRODUCING NANOSTRUCTURED SAND, PROCESS FOR SEPARATING A POLLUTANT-WATER MIXTURE WITH THE NANOSTRUCTURED SAND AND FURTHER USES

摘要

The present invention relates to nanostructured sand, to a process for producing the nanostructured sand, to a process for separating a pollutant-water mixture and to uses of the nanostructured sand, wherein the nanostructured sand is characterized in that at least a portion of the sand grains have a surface structured at least partly by one or more silicon-based nanoparticles. The process for producing the nanostructured sand is characterized in that it comprises or consists of the following steps: a) providing sand comprising one or more sand grains, b) providing one or more silicon-based nanoparticles in a carrier liquid, c) mixing the sand from step a) with the nanoparticle(s) in carrier liquid from step b) and then d) heating the sand-nanoparticle carrier liquid mixture from step c) until at least some of the sand from step a) has a surface at least partly structured with the silicon-based nanoparticle(s) from step b).