Add diamond to washing powder, detergents more effective

British chemists have found that adding microscopic diamond to washing powder made the detergents more effective. The chemists added small amounts of nanodiamonds – pieces of carbon less than a ten-thousandth of the diameter of a human hair – to commercial washing powders. They found the diamonds made the detergent much more effective at removing dirt and grease, even at 15C, the British newspaper (Daily Mail) reported. In one case, double the amount of fat was removed in a 25C wash when diamond dust was used. Researchers believe the diamonds’ rough surface could help to rub grease and fat from materials. They hope the discovery could make it possible to wash clothes effectively at lower temperatures. A team of experts led by Dr. Andrew Marsh, from the Department of Chemistry at Warwick University, in conjunction with colleagues from Aston University in Birmingham made the discovery in a project funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and washing powder manufacturer Proctor and Gamble PLC. Research leader Dr. Andrew Marsh said: "These findings tackle a problem that forces consumers to wash some of their laundry a between 60 and 90C more than 80 times a year." "Even with modern biological washing powders, some fats and dirt cannot be removed at the lower temperatures many prefer to use for their weekly wash," he added. Nanodiamonds are created by exploding synthetically produced diamonds to create miniscule particles that are not much bigger than the size of a DNA molecule. (QNA)