Each sheet from this life-saving tome can provide 30 days of drinkable water – all together, the entire volume is able make a total of 5,000 liters fit for human consumption (enough for four years). Instructions printed on each page tell readers why and how to use them as filters in a variety of languages.
The project, a collaboration between scientists, engineers and typographer Brian Gartside, was created for the non-profit WaterIsLife as both an educational tool and vital resource.
Coated in silver nanoparticles and written on with food-grade inks, the pages are able to actively kill off deadly diseases found in the water supply of developing countries. Straining out particles and reducing bacteria counts by over 99.99%, their filtering capabilities leave safe-to-consume potable liquid on par with American tap water.
Co-engineered by creators from Carnegie Mellon and the University of Virginia, the sheets are made to be torn out easily and inserted into a filter box, which doubles ingeniously as a storage and shipping container for the books as well.
Best of all, the book is cheap to produce and thus practical to manufacture and distribute in bulk to those in need. Including various tips teaching proper sanitation techniques and the dangers of dirty water, its messages of awareness are also translated into numerous languages to make it globally legible.
