Waterborne illness may soon be stopped by a book, but it’s not knowledge from reading that will save lives, it’s the technology behind the pages. The Drinkable Book is a new, inexpensive product that relies on nanotechnology to purify water, making even the most contaminated of water sources a safe place for people to collect and consume drinking water.
Page Drinking Paper Can Prevent Waterborne Illness With Nanotechnology
Each year all over the world, over 3.4 million people die from contracting waterborne illness after drinking contaminated water. While a book may seem to provide no help to this problem, literacy isn’t what Theresa Dankovich had in mind when she developed an inexpensive, portable book that uses nanotechnology to purify water.
Dankovich came across the idea to use the bacteria-eliminating properties of metal nanoparticles as a doctoral student in her research on paper’s material properties. Silver nanoparticles combined embedded into thick filter paper could effectively rid water of many viruses and bacteria.
After refining the technology and conducting several field tests around the globe, Dankovich will now deliver the results to the 250th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.
The Drinkable Book Treats Water to 99.9% Purity
Though Dankovich started her research at McGill University, she expanded it at the University of Virginia’s Center for Global Health by experimenting with inexpensive copper nanoparticles.
She tested the water purification paper in areas with high levels of waterborne illness, including Limpopo, South Africa before moving on to Ghana, Haiti, and Kenya to ensure the efficacy of the filtration in real world conditions rather than just relying on those simulated in a laboratory.
The researcher found that even in the most highly contaminated water sites, the Drinkable Book was able to reach 99.9 percent purity. These numbers are on par with U.S. drinking water.
Of course, some nanoparticles are leaked into the water during the process, but the researcher assures that is is well below the limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization.
One Book Can Filter Out Waterborne Illness For Over Four Years
Dankovich’s Drinkable Book has come into production through her nonprofit company called pAge Drinking Paper. The company has already started collaborating with WATERisLIFE and designer Brian Gartside to develop the book.
The book is made of pages embedded with nanoparticles and printed with information regarding water safety in English and the local language where it will be distributed. The pages can easily be removed and put into a special device that will filter the water as it is being poured through.
Dankovich has also teamed up with International Enterprises in Bangladesh iDE to commercialize the book, which she hopes will not be read, but used all around the world to treat water and prevent waterborne illness.
Title Picture Credit to UK Dept for International Development
Additional Image Credit to Brian Gartside
