Water Purification Device by Wisconsin Pharmacal

A 119-year-old Wisconsin company has introduced a water purification device that's roughly the size of a cellphone and can disinfect up to 20 liters of water at a time to make it safe for drinking

Powered by a rechargeable battery, with a solar-panel backup, it utilizes a brine solution (salt and water) to create a mixed-oxidant disinfectant capable of purifying dirty water, according to the company, now based in Jackson.

The disinfectant "inactivates" viruses, bacteria, Giardia and Cryptosporidium, killing 99.9% of all organisms without the need to filter the water, the company says.

It takes less than 20 seconds for the device, which is called the Potable Aqua Pure Electrolytic Water Purifier, to make the active ingredient in the disinfectant. You can then select the amount of water you want to treat, up to about 5 gallons, and add the small amount of powerful disinfectant made from the device.

More than 150 liters can be treated on one full battery charge. There's also a small solar panel on the back of the unit to charge the battery when there aren't electric outlets, said John Wundrock, president and CEO of Wisconsin Pharmacal, which also sells water purification tablets and other outdoor products, including first-aid kits.

"It doesn't filter the water, but it will kill the bugs that make you sick," Wundrock said.

For decades, Wisconsin Pharmacal has made water purification tablets popular with backpackers and others in places where clean drinking water isn't always available.

The company's products have been used after natural disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricanes, when water supplies are disrupted.

Water purification tablets do essentially the same thing as the small device, but it would take a lot of tablets to disinfect 5 gallons of water, according to Wundrock.

The device was developed by a group of engineers in Albuquerque, N.M., for use in countries that have problems with contaminated water, and for camping and backpacking. Wisconsin Pharmacal is selling the device under its product line, at a retail price of about $100.

It's about one-fourth of the weight of a water filter, something that could matter in backpacking.

"It's easy to carry to places where water might be bad," Wundrock said, and there's no pre-filtering necessary to treat dirty water.

Source: JS Online

Media

Taxonomy

• Purification
• Filtration
• Technology