- green-spots
- water purification
- USA
- The Drinkable Book, USA
Problems
Lack of acces to safe, reliable drinking water in developing world
Water contamination and access to safe, reliable drinking water is a predominant issue worldwide, with a more dangerous and severe impact on the developing world. As the global water dilemma worsens, it is essential to bring attention to the matter and take the first steps towards change. Non-profit organizations such as Charity Water, Water Aid, Thirst Project, and many more have been fighting to end the water crisis in countries like Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa. According to the World Health Organization, more than 3.4 million people die yearly, especially those from developing countries, from waterborne-related causes, and even more live without clean water. Poor sanitation or inadequate treatment facilities are primarily to blame, with insufficient hygiene practices also leading to the growth of harmful organisms in water supplies, such as Escherichia coli. To combat the problem and to help educate about the dangers of unsafe water, "Water is Life" teamed up with Dr. Teri Dankovich from Carnegie Mellon to create the Drinkable Book. At the same time, researchers sought to educate people about safe drinking habits and the dangers of contaminated water.
Solutions
The Drinkable Book provides safe drinking water
Author: Matthew Gunther, Chemistry World
The Drinkable Book is a portable water purification system. Each page of the book has its own little filter that can clean up to 100 litres of water (approximately a 30-day supply). Each Drinkable Book can provide a single person with up to four years of clean water. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon and the University of Virginia developed a special type of paper coated in silver nanoparticles, which kill bacteria. As contaminated water passes through the paper, bacteria absorb the silver ions, killing them instantaneously and rendering the water potable. The nanoparticles don't quite work like a traditional filter. Rather than providing a barrier, they actually kill the bacteria as they pass through the paper. As the water runs through, the bacteria absorb the silver ions, which kill the bacteria. It has proven effective at destroying bacteria that cause cholera, E.coli, and typhoid diseases. It can safely treat around 100 litres of water -- up to four years' worth, depending on usage. It's not a perfect solution -- the paper can't remove dissolved solids or chemicals from contaminated water supplies -- but it's much better than many people can access. Each page contains two filters, which can safely treat around 100 litres of water -- up to four years' worth, depending on usage. According to the researchers, the new water filtration system has been shown to eliminate 99 percent of bacteria in water during its first field trials at 25 contaminated water sources in South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Haiti, and Bangladesh. The researchers, working with charities Water is Life and iDE-Bangladesh, pulled pages from the book, put them into a holder, and poured water from rivers and streams on top, straining away the bacteria.
Gallery
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Timelines
2016
The Drinkable Book was distributed in India, Haiti, Kenya, and Ghana. The distribution model was charitable giving rather than sales.
2015
The “drinkable book,” was presented Monday at the American Chemical Society’s (ACS)250th national meeting in Boston. ACS is one of the world’s largest scientific organizations, with more than 173,000 individuals in our global community across 140 countries.
2014
Page non-profit organization was founded. Page is the paper in The Drinkable Book™, collaborating with Water is Life.
2013
Brian Gartside designed the Drinkable Book. The book was featured on the web and in the London Science Museum. Dr. Dankovich partners with the nonprofit organization Water is Life, which has active field offices in Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, to distribute the Drinkable Book to needy communities. UVA Dankovich and her colleagues started to test their filter pages in Limpopo province in South Africa