by Bob Larson
Over 3.4 million people in Africa and Asia die each year from contaminated water per the World Health Organization. Although several methods have been used to kill bacteria and viruses in contaminated water in these underdeveloped countries, a new method has been tested with excellent results called the “Drinkable Book.”
Created by Dr. Teri Dankovich, a chemist and researcher with her team at Carnegie Mellon University in Virginia, the ‘Drinkable Book’ features pages embedded with special chemical nanoparticles. The pages are like a coffee filter, straining the contaminated water through a special plastic housing. Each page lasts about 30 days and is capable of cleaning 100 liters (roughly 26.4 gallons) of water, with an entire book capable of supporting an individual for four years. The cost is estimated to be several cents per page, making it very economical across the world.
With more than 660 million people without access to clean drinking water, using the pages of the Drinkable Book as a simple filter would have instant impact. In 25 trials at contaminated drinking sites in Ghana and Bangladesh this year, the paper was effective at removing 99% of bacteria. This is almost equivalent to our own drinking water standards in the U.S. Working with several worldwide non-profit charities Water is Life and iDE, the next step is to take the production process for full-scale distribution throughout the world. This is another prime example of technology helping our planet!
~ Bob Larson is a technologist, photo journalist, and Marketing Director for 50Plus Media Solutions.