This looks to be a fantastic breakthrough.
[quote]New Technology Removes Viruses From Drinking Water
Science Daily — University of Delaware researchers have developed an inexpensive, nonchlorine-based technology that can remove harmful microorganisms, including viruses, from drinking water.
UD’s patented technology, developed jointly by researchers in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the College of Engineering, incorporates highly reactive iron in the filtering process to deliver a chemical “knock-out punch” to a host of notorious pathogens, from E. coli to rotavirus.
The new technology could dramatically improve the safety of drinking water around the globe, particularly in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over a billion people–one-sixth of the world’s population–lack access to safe water supplies.
Four billion cases of diarrheal disease occur worldwide every year, resulting in 1.8 million deaths, primarily infants and children in developing countries. Eighty-eight percent of this disease is attributed to unsafe water supplies, inadequate sanitation and hygiene.
In the United States, viruses are the target pathogenic microorganisms in the new Ground Water Rule under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Act, which took effect on Jan. 8.
“What is unique about our technology is its ability to remove viruses–the smallest of the pathogens–from water supplies,” Pei Chiu, an associate professor in UD’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, said.
Chiu collaborated with Yan Jin, a professor of environmental soil physics in UD’s plant and soil sciences department, to develop the technology. They then sought the expertise of virologist Kali Kniel, an assistant professor in the animal and food sciences department, who has provided critical assistance with the testing phase.
“A serious challenge facing the water treatment industry is how to simultaneously control microbial pathogens, disinfectants such as chlorine, and toxic disinfection byproducts in our drinking water, and at an acceptable cost,” Chiu noted.
Viruses are difficult to eliminate in drinking water using current methods because they are far smaller than bacteria, highly mobile, and resistant to chlorination, which is the dominant disinfection method used in the United States, according to the researchers.(more at link)[/quote]
This looks outstanding. I’m thinking Nobel Prize for this group. Clean water at low costs. This is the major health problem in the 3rd world. And it is a huge problem here on Taiwan where one would think that water sanitation would be a high priority. But unfortunately isnt.