A high-tech, low-cost, disposable water filter that fits into the neck of a water bottle and delivers clean drinking water is being commercialized by Stellenbosch University (SU). The patented technology was developed by Eugene Cloete, DSc, microbiologist and dean of the Faculty of Science, and colleagues from the department of microbiology and polymer science.

The portable, easy-to-use, environmentally friendly water filter looks like a tea bag but is filled with active carbon granules that remove harmful chemicals such as endocrine disruptors. The filter not only resembles a tea bag in shape and size but is composed of the same biodegradable material as off-the-shelf tea bags. Inside, the filter is coated with a thin film of biocides encapsulated within minute nanofibers, which destroy disease-causing microbes. Each filter can clean polluted water to the point where it is completely safe to drink, according to Cloete. The filter sachet, which is inserted into the bottleneck, is designed for a single use.

The sachet combines years of fundamental research on water purification, nanotechnology, and food microbiology in a practical way, aiming to provide easy access to clean drinking water for vulnerable communities living near polluted water streams. “The ‘tea bag’ filter represents decentralized, point-of-use technology,” Cloete says. “It can assist in meeting the needs of people who live or travel in remote areas or people whose regular water supply is not treated to potable standards. As it is impossible to build purification infrastructure at every polluted stream, we have to take the solution to the people.” Cloete and colleagues also plan to commercialize the filter into a product that can be used by outdoor enthusiasts for hiking or camping trips.

Source:  Engineering News

Posted August 25th, 2010 under Tech Transfer

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