Low-cost water filter using sapwood xylem

Safe drinking water

This project explores a novel approach to address the largely unmet need for providing safe and affordable drinking water to low-income groups by developing low-cost water filters that use the natural filtration capabilities of xylem tissue in wood. The project will validate filtration performance in the lab and in the field, while also assessing the usability, desirability, and affordability of low-cost filters and devising a strategy for local manufacture and commercialization. Filtration devices developed from this material could be low-cost household water filters in developing countries or could be distributed by relief agencies anywhere in the world in emergencies.