New Bottle Purifies Water of Fecals, Bacteria and Viruses

What you saw yesterday in science fiction movies can become the reality of our days. The fans of the Dune series may see now something resembling the stillsuit and the rehydrator that took water from sweat, fecal matters, or urine.

The Life Saver water bottle is employed by the troops as a water sanitizer that can turn the dirtiest water into drinkable water in a matter of seconds. The bottle with a small self-contained filter system does not only eliminate common pathogens, like protozoa and bacteria, but also kills viruses, cleaning even water that has been infested by fecal matters. All particles larger than 15 nm were removed without using chemical compounds.

The bottle's inventor, Michael Pritchard, first got the idea of developing this type of water bottle after seeing the problems with the drinkable water faced by the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 tsunami in Asia, who remained for days out of any source of clean water and many died from drinking contaminated water, in conditions which were ideal for outbreaks of epidemics related to infested water, like cholera.

But Pritchard's invention could have multiple uses. After exhibiting the bottle at a defense conference in the UK, Pritchard sold all 1,000 of his £190 ($385, 280 Euro) bottles in less than four hours.

Defense experts said the most impressive trait of the model was the fact that its filter functioned for cleaning up to 4,000 or 6,000 liters before it had to be replaced and would be crucial for troops in contaminated areas or those scarce in drinkable water, as the Middle East, the theater of many operations.

Besides military applications, the new bottle could reach also the consumer market, as it could be used as an emergency gear, but for camping and travel as well.