Smarter Approach to Safe Drinking Water
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Technology
Team of Chemists, Hydrologists and Manufacturing Designers Were Brought Up toDevelop a Modified Ceramic Particle that Filters Out Contaminated Water
John Schoch knows a thing or two about clay. He's been CEO for 11 years of Profile Products LLC, a Buffalo Grove firm that mixes porous ceramic particles into playing fields. Made from a specific type of clay, the material soaks up water after, say, a golf course or Wrigley Field has been dumped with rain.
In 2008, after chatting with a water management consultant, Mr. Schoch concluded his expertise might have a worldwide humanitarian use. He brought in a team of chemists, hydrologists and manufacturing designers to develop a modified ceramic particle that could filter out contaminants to provide safe drinking waterin places where people lack access to it.
ProCleanse LLC,a subsidiary of Profile Products he formed five years ago, now has its product: a giant blue bucket lined with a proprietary blend of particles. Dirty water is poured into the top and gravity pulls the water through a strainer to catch debris. At the same time, silver, zinc and copper ions are released from the particles to neutralize bacteria and viruses. The device, which can hold up to 5 gallons of water and must be cleaned out a few times a year, requires no power, has no parts to replace and is expected to last 10 years.
ProCleanse received $4 million from Profile Products for development and testing. Each filtration device costs $200, but that works out to just one-tenth of 1 cent per quart of clean water when spread over the product's lifetime, says Mr. Schoch, 64, who has spent his career in the chemicals industry.
Competing filtering devices cost no more but typically last just two to three years, says Chuck Chatowitz, a principal at Global Environment Technology Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit that focuses on clean water access around the world.
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- Purification
- Filtration
- Water Safety Plan
- Drinking Water