American scientists have invented paper that purifies water quality
According to the China Daily, citing the BBC on August 16, American scientists have recently invented a magical book whose pages can be torn off to purify water, which sounds incredible but has been proven effective in experiments. The book, titled "Drinkable Book," is a tool that combines a book and a filter developed by scientists at the University of Virginia and Carnegie Mellon University. Its pages contain nano-silver ions, which filter out all kinds of bacteria in the sewage.
African people try "drinkable books"
"Drinkable book" does not mean that the book itself is drinkable, but that the book printed with information on water filtration methods and hygiene can filter fresh water and make it drinkable. By tearing off a page, fresh water extracted from rivers, streams, wells, etc., can be filtered and purified. Harmful substances such as bacteria in the water are adsorbed by the silver and copper ions in the paper when they penetrate the paper. A single filter page can purify 100 litres of water. A single "drinkable book" can meet a person's water needs for four years.
The findings were presented at the 250th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston. After testing 25 contaminated water sources in South Africa, Ghana and the Republic of Bangladesh, the book was shown to be successful in filtering out 99 percent of the bacteria in the sewage. The researchers said that the filtered water source was similar to the standard tap water in the United States, with trace amounts of silver and copper ions entering the water during filtration, but both met the standards.
Dr. Dankovic of Carnegie Mellon University has been working on the project for many years. But Dr. Kovitch said that there are still 663 million people in the world who do not have access to safe and clean drinking water, and that the study will help people in developing countries have access to safe and clean drinking water.
Over the past two years, Dr. Kovich has collaborated with the non-profit organization Water for Life and related organizations to conduct this research, conducting laboratory and field trials. In the test, most of the water samples containing bacteria were completely destroyed after filtering the pages. "After filtering the drinkable book paper, it was found that more than 90 percent of the bacteria in the water samples were gone." But Kovic said. "What's even more exciting is that this filtration has proven to be very effective not only for experimental water, but also for actual water sources used by local people." In the field test, the water quality of one river brought a big test to this new water purification tool. "The river has a very high bacterial index due to the constant influx of sewage. But the 'drinkable book' didn't disappoint us, and it still purifies these very high levels of bacteria. We thought that since it could purify even such a bad water source, it should be able to purify other water sources. "
But Dr. Kovitch and her colleagues hope to scale up production of this new filter product, which is still produced manually. At the same time, researchers are also actively promoting this new type of filtration product. Dr. Lantan, an environmental engineer at Tufts University in the United States, said the data from these experiments showed a bright future. "This research is going to go a long way when it comes to safe drinking water." The new water filtration tool has already passed two key tests and has been proven to be effective in purifying real water sources both in the laboratory and outdoors.
Dr. Lantan said the book needed to be designed to be commercially available for mass production. In the next step, the research team will develop a new type of equipment to match the filter paper to make it more convenient for people to use. She also said that while the filter paper is effective in killing bacteria, it is uncertain whether it can remove other disease-causing microorganisms. "I want to see if it can also solve microbes like viruses." She said. "It's a great prospect for people, but it's not going to save the world all at once. The completion of this study is a big step forward, but there are still many more questions that need to be solved. "
Dr. Dudrick, who studies sustainable water at the University of Notre Dame, believes that if the book can also filter out non-bacterial pathogens, such as the parasite Cryptosporidium, which has recently caused some panic in Lancashire, England, it will play a huge role in ensuring safe drinking water. He added that in addition to researching "drinkable books", it is still important to teach locals how to use filtration equipment correctly and to replace filter paper in a timely manner. But the results of the study made him feel optimistic. "In any case, compared to other technologies such as ceramic filters and UV sterilization equipment, this new water filter book is less costly, simple and easy to use, and easy for people to master and use."