By Sara Jerome
@sarmje

A small device undergoing trials in Milwaukee aims to simplify water treatment technology to make it portable and cheap.

“The goal is simple, but the challenge is huge — take polluted water and turn it into drinkable water with low-tech systems. No large or more costly treatment plants, which are often unobtainable in poor countries across the globe, threatened daily by unsafe drinking water that is causing a public health crisis across continents,” The Journal Times of Racine, WI reported.

Stonehouse Water Technologies has developed a device known as the Water POD (short for portable on demand). Each unit is a small drinking water filtration system. One such device is set up at a dirty canal in Milwaukee next to a sign that says "Making the Unthinkable Drinkable," according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The Journal Sentinel gave some insight on how the technology works: “A small hose carries the canal's heavily polluted water inside the 8-foot-diameter dome. A button on the outside can be pushed to dispense clear water that is clean enough to drink,” the report said.

“The Water POD — for Potable On Demand — that grew out of the grant contains a series of filters that can be modified depending on pollutants in a local water source. Filters remove sediment, illness-causing bacteria and Cryptosporidium, metals, chemical pollutants and odors. The final step is exposure of the water to ultraviolet light so that viruses are killed,” the report said.

Stonehouse President Hensley Foster said grant money was vital to the development of this device, which he hopes will help bring access to clean water in developing nations.

“Each POD produces 3,000 gallons a day, enough drinking water for 1,000 people, Foster said. He estimates the owner of a POD could charge customers about 31/2 cents per liter of water — slightly more than a quart — to pay costs of treatment and to sustain a business,” the report said.

Various companies have designed water filtration systems for developing nations, but Foster says his device stands out for a few reasons.

“It does not require a big diesel engine to operate large pumps and a trailer-size, or larger, treatment plant. His strategy is to place many small units at local water sources close to communities so residents don't have to travel for safe water,” the report said.

“Gravity alone can push water through the low-flow filters if the source or a storage tank is elevated above a POD, he said. If not, the unit can operate on just 12 volts of electricity and will work with energy generated from a solar panel,” the report continued.

In developing countries, "accessing clean water often means waiting in line for a truck to haul it to you, boiling it (an energy-hungry option), or running it through a ceramic filter (expensive). But the truth is, more often than not people don’t clean it at all," Wired said.

For similar stories, visit Water Online’s Drinking Water Contaminant Removal Solutions Center.