Subscribe by EmailMaking filthy water drinkable through nano-filtration
August 19, 2009 by Geeks are Sexy | 8 comments
It’s not a secret, we all know that a good part of the world has problems with its drinking water sources, bringing death and sickness every day upon third-world countries. Sure, humanitarian organizations try to help these countries, but doing so is expensive. So when looking at the situation, Engineer Michael Pritchard thought he needed to do something about this mess, and invented the lifesaver bottle, which, using a non-chemical nano-filtration membrane, can make the most revolting water drinkable in seconds.
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Ok. That is very cool. And then they went and stuck Josha Radin on at the end, which made it even better!
At the same time, as much as it’s gonna help the people it needs to, I can’t see it working on an everyday level. Why?
It might be sterile, but it’s still gonna stink/ And people that are used to fresh-smelling tapwater aren’t gonna put up with that.
It’s definitely a tiny problem that can also be fixed easily, though.
You have a point: he claims it’s sterile, but not chemical-free. There can be many things, including (I’ll bet) that arsenic, that still get through the 25nm filter.
You won’t get a bacterial or viral infection, but there are an awful lot of poisonous molecules that are smaller than a virus.
That said, this is still an excellent idea!
Yep.
These may become ubiquitous and the problem of dirty cannisters (syringe) pops up.
Probably one of the most significant breakthroughs since the light bulb though.
What can be done to clean the water so that the smell is equal to or better than everyday tap water? Still keeping the water clean and healthy.
Price will be the only reason why these bottles aren’t taken up;they must be cheaper!!
Did you not watch the video? It IS cheaper.
Yes, the intial costs will be higher, but you’ll save your money in the long-term, and surely that’s more important.
Any change in the modern world costs money. That’s what the guy’s trying to argue the case for – spending money to save it.
There is actually another nano-filtration technology similar to this, but less expensive…it’s called Disruptor…http://www.ahlstrom.com/modules/page/show_page~id~3CE2E95555CF4C02B77E9CA13B85A2EB~itemtype~00308B787886459385F296A5AFD4FA74~tabletarget~data_1~pid~AC713959D47145478567DFB68D60AE1F~layout~ahlstrom06.asp
At the risk of now sounding like an advert for the thing (though I am totally amazed by it), I think this guy has Disruptor beat, at least for the moment.
This guy has a working product that can be upscaled to limitless proportions. A product that tells you when it becomes saturated and stops working to protect you.
The Disruptor filter is effectively a normal water filter that still needs an actual product to be used with. So while the actual Disruptor filter is less expensive, who knows what cost the actual product will be when it has all the safety features this bottle has are added in?
It isn’t fair to compare them, since one is a finished product and the other is a prototype that hasn’t been proven it can work in a safe, mainstream product nor proven it can be upscaled.
Plus, it might just be me, but Disruptor seems to be presented much more as a commercial product, whereas this guy actually made it to help people. Not saying he won’t profit, but you could tell the conviction in his voice during the video.