This small invention will save millions of people around the world from a lack of clean water

Do you believe these tiny sheets of paper can remove bacteria, turning dirty water into clean water?

Lack of clean water is one of the natural disasters that scientists have predicted that it will become a nightmare for mankind if global warming continues.

Scientists at Uppsala University in Sweden have recently succeeded in developing the idea of using paper to remove viruses and bacteria in the water - helping hundreds of millions of people around the world with clean water to use. use.

It is known that these special papers are made of ultra-thin cellulose nanofibers - developed from blue algae and named "mille-feuille " - the name of a French cake with " thousands of layers of bread ".

Picture 1 of This small invention will save millions of people around the world from a lack of clean water
More than 748 million people worldwide do not have access to clean water.

Researcher Albert Mihranyan from Uppsala University in Sweden shared: "Our goal is to develop a filter paper that can remove even the smallest viruses in dirty water as easily as making coffee.

By using simple methods with natural direct filter materials, I believe this filter paper can become a universal water purifier solution at an affordable price. Thereby, the product can save the lives of millions of millions of people around the world ".

It is known that at this time, there are more than 748 million people in the world do not have access to clean water and basic sanitation . Waterborne diseases are one of the biggest causes of death in the world, especially for children under 5 years old.

Among water-related infections, the viruses that exist in dirty water are even more dangerous. These residents have many difficulties in removing viruses in the country because they are too small, but seem to be "immune" to chlorine disinfectants.

Picture 2 of This small invention will save millions of people around the world from a lack of clean water
Images of filter paper under a microscope contain thousands of layers - the ability to filter out the smallest virus.

Therefore, the experts studied and found the mille-feuille mechanism . With the use of multiple layers of nanofibers, the paper has microscopic pores to remove viruses such as influenza . What you need to do is place the paper in the filter and pour the river, spring or well water. The result is clean water out of bacteria.

Best of all, this paper can be used for a long time and can be distributed to where it is needed - the country is not yet developing and without any difficulties.

Mihranyan added: " Lack of clean water is a problem that not only exists in low-income countries. And the virus in dirty water has also caused many major enemy diseases in Europe in the past, including Sweden. Dictionary ".

In the future, experts will develop this filter to help produce therapeutic proteins and vaccines.

Teri Dankovich of Duke University (USA), who did not participate in the study, said that the filter showed great potential for affordable water filtration in remote areas. But she also said that the most important thing for researchers is to determine the life of the filter before it is blocked.

To solve this problem, experts are expanding production models to ensure products are still cheap and reliable.

The study is published in Materials Horizons.

Images of filter paper under a microscope contain thousands of layers - the ability to filter out the smallest virus.