A book, called “drinkable book,” has been developed that can be torn out to filter drinking water. The book combines treated paper with printed information on how and why water should be filtered. Its pages contain nanoparticles of silver or copper, which kill bacteria in the water as it passes through.

The book was tested at 25 contaminated water sources in South Africa, Ghana and Bangladesh. The paper successfully removed more than 99 per cent of bacteria.

Dr Teri Dankovich, a postdoctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, developed and tested the technology for the book over several years. "It's directed towards communities in developing countries," Dr Dankovich said, noting that 663 million people around the world do not have access to clean drinking water.

All you need to do is tear out a paper, put it in a simple filter holder and pour water into it from rivers, streams, wells etc and out comes clean water - and dead bacteria as well. The bugs absorb silver or copper ions - depending on the nanoparticles used - as they percolate through the page. Ions come off the surface of the nanoparticles, and those are absorbed by the microbes.

More details at:
www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-339...0cb4ee7ef3-250663313

F H Mughal