Aussie researchers' water filtration technology could help millions of people

Australian researchers at the University of Technology Sydney received the technology against poverty award for their clean water filtration system on Monday.

The prize worth 500,000 Australian dollars (384,000 U.S. dollars) will go toward implementing a low-cost, easy to operate technology designed to remove arsenic from drinking water in a densely populated area of Vietnam.

With around 20 million people, the Red River Delta region has a severe problem with contaminated water.

The symptoms of ingesting arsenic include major health problems like cancers, gastrointestinal disorders, muscular weakness, nerve tissue injuries, blackfoot disease and intellectual impairment.

"This sustainable system will both maximise locally sourced resources and minimise arsenic waste and environmental pollution, improving health and quality of life," University of Technology Sydney Professor Saravanamuth Vigneswaran said.

"There are three key components to this system: an organic membrane, a tank/drum in which the membrane is inserted, and an absorptive cartridge made from locally-available industrial waste products."

Researchers imagine the scheme conducted in collaboration with the Vietnam National University, the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and local manufacturers, could also help create jobs in the area too.

The simple maintenance of the system, will require workers and may provide much needed employment in the local community.

"The filtration can be powered by gravity, water pump solar or by hand. Membranes will last up to three years, while the cartridges absorb the arsenic and are periodically removed (3 to 6 months) and replaced with new ones. The waste cartridges will be turned into safe building materials, so the system safely disposes of arsenic waste," Vigneswaran said. Endit