14 DAY TRIAL // A group of investigators published a new paper in the February 26 issue of the open-access journal PLoS ONE, detailing how you can create your very own water-filtration mechanism. The procedure is very easy to apply and exhibits nearly-total bacterial annihilation capabilities. You can create such a filter when traveling abroad, when hiking, camping or trekking, or just for the fun of it.
The work, authored by Michael S. H. Boutilier, Jongho Lee, Valerie Chambers, Varsha Venkatesh, Rohit Karnik, argues that xylem, the tube-like tissue that is responsible for transporting water from roots to leaves, makes for an outstanding water purification system. In their experiments, the scientists noticed that 99.9 percent of bacteria were filtered out by this system.
The steps needed to assemble the filter are basic. First, you need to cut a 2.5-centimeter (1-inch) section of a narrow pine twig, about 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) across. The next step is to remove the bark off the twig. The final step is mounting the xylem inside a tube and sealing any open spaces between the two with epoxy.
Such a filtration system can easily purify up to 4 liters of water per day, which is more than enough for a single person. While using such a filter, you need to take care that the filter does not dry out. The reason why xylem works is because it features nanopores in its internal structure that capture impurities in water with extreme efficiency.