The book has pages that can be torn out and used to filter drinking water. And according to WaterisLife, each book can provide the user up to four years of clean water.
With the advancement in water purification systems and technologies in recent years, it didn’t take long before one team of scientists and designers came up with a practical and educational way to bring water filtration to millions of people living in regions without safe drinking water supplies.
Pages in “The Drinkable Book” are treated with anti-microbial silver or copper nanoparticles, and Dr. Theresa Dankovich a postdoctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, was able to reduce the bacteria in water by more than 99.9 percent by simply having the user tear a page out of the book and using it as a filter.
Dr. Dankovich developed and tested the technology for the book over several years, working at McGill University in Canada and then at the University of Virginia.
The BBC quoted Dr. Dankovich as saying, “It’s directed towards communities in developing countries.” She also noted that 663 million people around the world do not have access to clean drinking water. “All you need to do is tear out a paper, put it in a simple filter holder and pour water into it from rivers, streams, wells etc and out comes clean water – and dead bacteria as well.”
According to Quartz, The book is printed in English and the local language. A page is torn out and put in a filter-holder. Water, from ditches, rivers or other water sources is then poured through the filter. One page can filter up to 100 liters (about 26 gallons) of water. One book can provide one person’s water needs for up to four years.
Water is Life is an amazing organization. They provide clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene education programs to schools and villages around the globe. You might remember hearing about Water is Life’s “water straw.” The straw is a portable filter which can be used in any water source to provide clean and safe drinking water.
From straw filters to water filtration units and borehole wells for families, to pump repair, water systems, and water source fencing; proper sanitation training is provided by Water is Life volunteers working in partnership with local groups to ensure clean water is available to everyone, even if it’s just one straw at a time.
