Good morning, SuperForest!
My love for TED Talks continues to expand. This morning, I watched a speech given by Michael Pritchard, a water treatment expert, who after witnessing the devastating aftermath of the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, became intensely focused on crafting a water purification bottle that could “revolutionize water delivery systems in disaster stricken areas across the globe.”
Now, SuperForest has written about water purification systems, before. I was completely awestruck when I learned of Dean Kamen’s Slingshot Water Purifier. But unfortunately, when I emailed his company (a couple times) for more information, they told me the machine was not yet in production and was nowhere near available for a domestic trial run. I continued to ask around for more information about other water purification systems but all had specific system requirements needed to produce the best results. SuperForester Taylor introduced us to Pritchard’s “Lifesaver” about a year ago, and after watching this awesome demonstration given at Oxford, I felt it was time to bring it up again.
So to sum it up,
Using a non-chemical nano-filtration hollow fiber membrane with 15 nanometer pores (it is designed to block viruses), the Lifesaver bottle can make the most revolting swamp water drinkable in seconds. Better still, a single long-lasting filter can clean 6,000 liters of water. Given the astronomical cost of shipping water to disaster areas, Pritchard’s Lifesaver bottle could turn traditional aid models on their heads.
Absolutely amazing. Cheers to the Pritchards, the Kamens and all of the other brilliant minds out there working to provide people with the tools to provide for themselves.
To learn more about the Lifesaver and other technologies Pritchard has developed (or to buy your very own) visit the website here.
Hope you are all having an amazing weekend!
Love,
C
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