Water Filter Wins African Innovation Prize
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Technology
A water filter which absorbs anything from copper and fluoride to bacteria, viruses and pesticides has won a prestigious African innovation prize
Its inventor, Tanzanian chemical engineer Askwar Hilonga, uses nanotechnology and sand to clean water.
He told the BBC his invention should help the 70% of households in Tanzania that do not have clean drinking water.
The prize, worth £25,000 ($38,348), was the first of its kind from the UK's Royal Academy of Engineering.
Head Judge Malcolm Brinded said, "His innovation could change the lives of many Africans, and people all over the world."
The sand-based water filter that cleans contaminated drinking water using nanotechnology has already been trademarked.
"I put water through sand to trap debris and bacteria," Mr Hilonga told the BBC's Newsday programme about the filter.
"But sand cannot remove contaminants like fluoride and other heavy metals so I put them through nano materials to remove chemical contaminants."
Source: BBC
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