This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will address the problem of a shortage of pure drinkable water by developing a new portable water purification filter coated with natural polymers. Initially the developed filters will be utilized for use in personal water purifiers, later expanding the development of the filter for use in municipal water purification systems. The development of this green technology based water treatment system will result in a novel water purifier that is inexpensive, fast acting, simple to use, disposable, easily used in developing countries, and has minimal impact on the environment. Furthermore, there would be no formation of harmful disinfection by-products. The broader/commercial impacts of this research are the provision of an inexpensive, all natural portable water purification system that will provide good safe potable water, particularly in third world countries. At risk drinking water can contain a variety of pathogens that can include heavy metals, harmful bacteria, parasitic cysts, cryptosporidium organisms and viruses. The best methods to date for removing these pathogens are UV irradiation, ozonation, and boiling/distillation, with each of these water purification techniques requiring energy and support systems that are not readily available for remote areas and situations. Other more portable water treatment methods are not as effective, inconvenient, subject to failures that many times cannot be easily detected, and/or supply poor tasting water. Therefore, there is a great need for the development of water purifiers that contain natural polymeric coatings that remove and/or kill diarrheal diseases-causing bacteria and can also remove heavy metals from water. The proposed all natural water purification system is intended to remove and/or neutralize all of these multiple water impurity elements. An established water purification company will be a partner in this project so as to expedite the commercialization of this developed technology into the marketplace.
." Ceramic foam constructs were utilized as substrates for various coatings that imparted water purification characteristics to the foamed material. Not only were coated ceramic foams of different porosities investigated and tried, but also foams that were fabricated under different conditions. These two parameters of the foam, porosity and mode of fabrication, did affect the ceramic filter’s effectiveness in absorbing contaminates and the rate of contaminate removal. A wide variety of contaminates were passed through these coated filters. Materials were found that did absorb most of the heavy metal impurities tried, which were cadmium, mercury, copper, zinc, iron, lead, nickel and manganese. Chromium was the exception of a heavy metal impurity not being absorbed. Other coatings used were found to neutralize bacteria. In addition to the ceramic foam constructs, other filter substrate materials, which were coated with the bacteria neutralizing coatings, were found to be more effective in removing bacteria pathogens. From these successes, a hybrid type filter will be developed for removing both inorganic contaminates and all biological pathogens. In addition, a portable water purifier that takes full advantage of the newly devised filter mediums will be developed.
