{"id":6658,"date":"2012-05-03T02:00:39","date_gmt":"2012-05-03T10:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blitransfer.wpengine.com\/?p=6658"},"modified":"2017-06-21T14:19:51","modified_gmt":"2017-06-21T19:19:51","slug":"disaster-relief-and-nanotech-water-filtration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelivingideas.com\/2012\/05\/03\/disaster-relief-and-nanotech-water-filtration\/","title":{"rendered":"Disaster Relief and Nanotech Water Filtration"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Brett van Zyl<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Cans<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201c37% per cent of the developing world\u2019s population \u2013 2.5 billion people \u2013 lack improved sanitation facilities, and over 780 million people still use unsafe drinking water sources\u201d, according to the WHO\/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP).<\/p>\n

This number of 2.5 billion people in water-stressed areas is said to more than double by the year 2025.<\/p>\n

As a result of the consumption of unsafe water, the proliferation of gastrointestinal infections has caused approximately 2.2 million deaths annually where most cases have been accounted for in developing countries by children under the age of 5 years.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, the method of offering aid to disaster regions has been to fly in vast amounts of bottled drinking water which has reached the cost of billions of dollars by the joint efforts of governments and aid agencies.\u00a0 This method is not sustainable as the rise of population and the spread of disease has increased, pushing the demand for even more aid resources.<\/p>\n

A more sustainable solution to this ever-increasing problem is nano-filtration.\u00a0 Nano-filters are made of a thin membrane which is porous and each pore having a size measured in nanometres.\u00a0 Nano-filters have been used in various industrial processes, such as high-end water suppliers<\/a> for consumer bottled water and in the production of semi-conductors where it serves to create ultra-pure water.<\/p>\n

This report, created by BCC Research indicates the popularity and investment of this technology in the industry:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe global market for nano-filtration membranes increased from $89.1 million in 2006 to an estimated $97.5 million by the end of 2007. It should reach $310.5 million by 2012, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.1%.<\/p>\n

The water treatment sector is projected to account for 72.7% of total revenues in 2007, worth an estimated $70.9 million in 2007 and expected to reach $238.2 million by 2012, a CAGR of 27.4%.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Due to fairly recent advancements in nano-filtration technology, the filter as an effective aid relief water purification device is now possible and could become a sustainable means of greatly reducing the world\u2019s death caused by gastrointestinal disease and diarrhoea.<\/p>\n

A UK inventor and expert on water-filtration, Michael Pritchard, patented a hand-held nano-filtration system called \u201cLifesaver\u201d.<\/p>\n

Lifesaver has become such a success due to its unique design as it effectively blocks all viruses and bacteria which exist in contaminated water, resulting in safe drinking water in seconds.<\/p>\n

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine ran a battery of tests on the Lifesaver device and the result was a 100% success rate of blocking all viruses and bacteria.<\/p>\n

The smallest known bacterium, Tuberculosis bacteria, is 200nm in dimension and the smallest known virus, Polio, is 25nm in dimension.<\/p>\n

The membrane pore size on the Lifesaver is 15nm in size and this ensures that both bacteria and viruses do not pass into the safe drinking water.<\/p>\n

Two primary humanitarian models are produced:<\/p>\n