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Water Filtration Using Plant Xylem...

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cyb

cyb

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Plants are amazing 😉


RESEARCH ARTICLE said:
Abstract
Effective point-of-use devices for providing safe drinking water are urgently needed to reduce the global burden of waterborne disease. Here we show that plant xylem from the sapwood of coniferous trees – a readily available, inexpensive, biodegradable, and disposable material – can remove bacteria from water by simple pressure-driven filtration. Approximately 3 cm3 of sapwood can filter water at the rate of several liters per day, sufficient to meet the clean drinking water needs of one person. The results demonstrate the potential of plant xylem to address the need for pathogen-free drinking water in developing countries and resource-limited settings.
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Introduction said:
The scarcity of clean and safe drinking water is one of the major causes of human mortality in the developing world. Potable or drinking water is defined as having acceptable quality in terms of its physical, chemical, and bacteriological parameters so that it can be safely used for drinking and cooking [1]. Among the water pollutants, the most deadly ones are of biological origin: infectious diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, protozoa, or parasites are the most common and widespread health risk associated with drinking water [1], [2]. The most common water-borne pathogens are bacteria (e.g. Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Vibrio cholerae), viruses (e.g. adenoviruses, enteroviruses, hepatitis, rotavirus), and protozoa (e.g. giardia) [1]. These pathogens cause child mortality and also contribute to malnutrition and stunted growth of children...cont...
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> Full Article Here <​
 
This is interesting from a humanitarian standpoint since it could be used to provide cheap drinking water to impoverished areas of the word that lack steady sources of clean water.

But I wonder if it has any application to, let's say, someone who wants to live off the grid or as a nomad roaming the land.

I'm sure that a source of pressure could be found that would allow this to be viable for someone living a more sedentary lifestyle. Perhaps the tube could be connected to a large tank, allowing the mass of the water to apply the pressure needed to push water through the wood.

If 5psi is needed, you would just need a column of water with a base 1 square inch and that is tall enough to contain 5lbs of water. 5lbs of water is about 2.3L. Since 1cm^3 is equal to 1ml, we can take 2300mL and divide it by 3.14cm^2 to get the height of the necessary column for a 1in^2 tube, which is about 7.3m (~24ft). But since a tube of 1cm diameter tube is only .5in^2, we can cut the height by halve.

12 ft tall would make for a large tank, but it's doable if you have a permanent place of residence.

Please correct my math if it's wrong.
 
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