This new bacterial filtration system could provide the world with access to clean water.
Unfortunately, the water purification plants that can provide millions of people with clean drinking water are not available everywhere.
Two examples of potential solutions that have been developed are the LifeStraw and the Drinkable Book.
The LifeStraw, available since 2005, has provided over 620,000 children in developing countries with clean drinking water.
The Drinkable Book, only available since 2015, uses silver nanoparticles to kill 99.9 percent of bacteria in water, though “the project has not yet been proven to remove protozoa and viruses.” Unfortunately, both products are limited in that they can only filter up to 1000 litres and 100 litres of water, respectively, before the filters are no longer effective.
To combat the need for frequent filter replacement, researchers at the University of British Columbia have come up with a purification system that uses bacteria to make the water drinkable.
It’s low-maintenance and as efficient as conventional approaches that need chemicals and complex mechanical systems to keep the membranes clean,” he said.
This new water filtration method is as effective as the complex techniques with their chemicals and mechanical systems, removing “99.99 per cent of contaminants” from the water.
According to the study, this method is “ideally suited to provide high quality water especially where access to financial resources, technical expertise and/or electrical power is limited.” At this point, it looks like this might be the best option for people in developing countries to get easy access to clean drinking water.
Maybe now, with the help of this new development, they will.