thedrifter
10-07-07, 04:40 PM
Filter system aims for safety
By Matthew Cox - mcox@militarytimes.com
Posted : October 15, 2007
London — Thirsty? How about a nice glass of stinking, stagnant water?
If that doesn’t sound refreshing, a British company just unveiled a new water filtration gadget that can transform the most polluted pools into crystal-clear drinking water.
The Lifesaver bottle is a compact device with a built-in filter and hand pump that removes 99.99 percent of bacteria, parasites and viruses, said Michael Pritchard, inventor and corporate executive officer for Lifesaver Systems in Britain, at the 2007 Defense Systems and Equipment International Exhibition here.
Mark Richter of Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va., praised the product, characterizing it in the company’s news release as ideal for military use.
Dunking the 750-milliliter bottle into a large container of brownish water set up to demonstrate the filter, Warrant Officer 2 Scott Monair of Britain’s Ministry of Defence said he was impressed by the simple design of the system. After a few strokes of the large pump, clear water began to shoot out of the nozzle.
This design is particularly useful in the jungle, where “you’ve got water all around you, but you can’t drink it,” the former jungle warfare instructor said.
Monair said he also likes that the 1.4-pound system doesn’t rely on chemical purifiers that often leave treated water with a bad aftertaste.
With other filtered water, he said, “the taste is unbearable.” With the Lifesaver bottle, “there’s no chemicals, no chlorine, no bad taste.”
Most commercial filters use ceramic filtering that goes down to 300 nanometers or even 200 nanometers, Pritchard said. But the smallest virus can pass through 25-nanometer spaces. That’s why Lifesaver goes down to 15 nanometers, he said.
Lifesaver bottles come in two models that can purify up to 4,000 liters or 6,000 liters of water.
The 4,000-liter model costs $400; the 6,000-liter model goes for $560. Replacement filters go for $140 for the 4,000-liter model and $200 for the 6,000-liter bottle.
Ellie
By Matthew Cox - mcox@militarytimes.com
Posted : October 15, 2007
London — Thirsty? How about a nice glass of stinking, stagnant water?
If that doesn’t sound refreshing, a British company just unveiled a new water filtration gadget that can transform the most polluted pools into crystal-clear drinking water.
The Lifesaver bottle is a compact device with a built-in filter and hand pump that removes 99.99 percent of bacteria, parasites and viruses, said Michael Pritchard, inventor and corporate executive officer for Lifesaver Systems in Britain, at the 2007 Defense Systems and Equipment International Exhibition here.
Mark Richter of Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va., praised the product, characterizing it in the company’s news release as ideal for military use.
Dunking the 750-milliliter bottle into a large container of brownish water set up to demonstrate the filter, Warrant Officer 2 Scott Monair of Britain’s Ministry of Defence said he was impressed by the simple design of the system. After a few strokes of the large pump, clear water began to shoot out of the nozzle.
This design is particularly useful in the jungle, where “you’ve got water all around you, but you can’t drink it,” the former jungle warfare instructor said.
Monair said he also likes that the 1.4-pound system doesn’t rely on chemical purifiers that often leave treated water with a bad aftertaste.
With other filtered water, he said, “the taste is unbearable.” With the Lifesaver bottle, “there’s no chemicals, no chlorine, no bad taste.”
Most commercial filters use ceramic filtering that goes down to 300 nanometers or even 200 nanometers, Pritchard said. But the smallest virus can pass through 25-nanometer spaces. That’s why Lifesaver goes down to 15 nanometers, he said.
Lifesaver bottles come in two models that can purify up to 4,000 liters or 6,000 liters of water.
The 4,000-liter model costs $400; the 6,000-liter model goes for $560. Replacement filters go for $140 for the 4,000-liter model and $200 for the 6,000-liter bottle.
Ellie