Bio-inspired ‘‘Point of use’’ fibre filtration for domestic water purification - A concept of ultra filtration

Lack of access to safe drinking water to a large number of people is still a major health problem in India as well as in many other developing countries. This motivated us for the development of a ‘‘point of use’’ water purification system, particularly for rural population. The system should be efficient, cost effective, maintenance free, ecofriendly and should require no or low energy for its operation. After screening several materials, we concluded that attributes of cellulosic fibre could be convenient. It effectively removes particulate materials, iron and some of the other pollutants. Partial reduction of microbial contaminants was also observed. Addition of copper (powder or coupon) into the system make process more effective in reducing the microbial load. In this communication, we report proof of the concept for using a cost effective method for water purification.