‘The Drinkable Book’ is a new invention that could potentially save millions of lives around the world. Its pages are made of treated paper that can purify water when passed through, killing over 99% of bacteria. Scoop has more:
The book is the result of postdoctoral researcher Theresa Dankovich’s hard work. For several years, she developed and tested the technology, working at McGill University in Canada and at the University of Virginia. The pages of the book contain nanoparticles of silver or copper, which are responsible for killing bacteria. The microscopic organisms absorb the silver or copper ions as they percolate through the page.
“Ions come off the surface of the nanoparticles, and those are absorbed by the microbes,” Dr. Dankovich said. “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,” she explained.
Her idea is not entirely new – silver and other metals have been used to purify water for centuries – but no one has ever thought of putting them into paper before. She stumbled upon the idea during her stint at McGill University, when she found that sheets of thick filter paper embedded with nanoparticles could eliminate a wide variety of microorganisms. Soon, she extended the technology to include copper, which is less expensive than silver.
