Researchers have created a book with silver-impregnated pages that can filter contaminated drinking water, according to an article at ChemistryWorld. The discovery offers a potential, inexpensive and sustainable solution for communities suffering from severe sanitation problems. According to the article, one page in the “drinkable book” can filter up to 100 litres of drinking water.
Theresa Dankovich from Carnegie Mellon University, recognizing the antimicrobial properties of silver, developed a page made from cellulose impregnated with silver nanoparticles. Dankovich and colleagues from the University of Virginia used the book to successfully treat an urban stream in South Africa contaminated with raw sewage, significantly reducing the level of E coli in the water. According to the article, one 25-page book could theoretically filter one person’s water for up to four years.
Silver has a long and well-recorded history of therapeutic benefits from preventing water contamination to protecting against infection.
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