Water-Purifying Paper

A new publication – The Drinkable Book – not only instructs readers on how and why to clean their drinking water; it’s actually the means to do so! That’s because it’s printed on paper which has been infused with bacteria-killing silver nanoparticles capable of killing nearly 100 percent of disease-causing bacteria. A user simply tears out a page, slides it into a slot in the custom filter box supplied with the book, and pours in the water. As soon as the water passes through the filter it is safe to drink. Although the length of time needed is dependent on the turbidity of the water, a single filter will purify up to 26 gallons.

The system requires no chemicals, such as chlorine or iodine, and therefore does not affect taste. But most importantly, it’s portable and easy to use, so it can be adopted readily, without the need for massive infrastructure changes.

The ability to treat water at the point-of-use rather than where it is sourced is viewed as an important factor in solving the water crisis in developing countries. In partnership with Water is Life, the paper was transformed into a guidebook that’s been translated into local languages in an effort to improve drinking water in these areas. The organization is currently raising funds to produce and distribute the books. The price has not yet been determined, however, they expect to release the first shipments by the end of this year.