27 December, 2010

Water purification on wheels

As our home state wallows in water, they are probably not thinking too much of the drought that so recently engulfed them. However I saw this article and was amazed. It probably doesn't really address continent-wide droughts like Australia experiences, but would provide lifesaving water to those in immediate danger after disasters (as long as there were sun and wind).

Of course it would be even more wonderful if people would receive the living water that Jesus spoke about in John 4.

WATER PURIFYING DEVICE
A truck-mounted water-purification and desalination system that can treat both freshwater and salt water and is powered by its own solar and wind devices is drawing interest from around the world. Yokohama-based Bay City Techno Co., a food manufacturing machine maker, developed the new device.

It is carried on a four-ton truck. It makes undrinkable water safe to drink by pressurising it and then filtering out toxic bacteria, viruses and salt by passing it through a special film. It produces up to 40 tons of drinkable water per day in the case of seawater.

The truck-mounted equipment can be used to create drinkable water in disaster-hit areas and any areas without electrical supply. Solar panels and small wind-propelled turbines power the device.

Several foreign and domestic companies have developed technologies capable of making seawater and other undrinkable water safe enough to consume. However, Bay City Techno's device is rare as it is both compact enough to be installed on a truck and able to generate its own operating power.

"Many countries suffer from a serious shortage of drinkable water," Toshiyuki Sato, the head of the firm said "We hope Japan's water processing technologies will be able to make a global contribution."
 
Source: The Yomiuri News, 2009-06-21 via Neil Verwey

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