Access to clean drinkable water remains one of the biggest challenges in improving lives of many in the developing nations.
Currently there are more than 780 million people around globe without access to clean water sources (approximately 1 in 9). Based on the latest data, about 3.4 million people die each year in developing nations due to of lack of access to clean water and sanitation services.
Over the years there have been many innovation to address this issue; for instance the LifeStraw (an easy to use, ultra-light water purification system) or Midomo (water filtration system that is powered by the rotation of the wheels). One of the latest innovation in this field is called “ The Drinkable Book”. Drinkable Book is a product of new start-up based in Pittsburg, PA, which attempts to combine education with accessibility.
Here’s how it works: At the first glance, Drinkable Book, looks like a normal book about water safety education. What distinguishes Drinkable Book from others, is that all of its pages have been covered with silver nanoparticles. Studies have shown the small quantities of silver can be highly toxic toward the microorganism (bacteria) presented in the water. And so as the water runs through the paper, the silver ions kill over 99.9% of the bacterial.
Each Drinkable Book package comes with a 3D printed box, which can be used a tray for water filtration. Based on the estimated from the company, each filer (one page contain 2 filters) can be used to purify 100 liters of water (26 gallons).
