Portable Water Purifier

Portable water purifier is a device meant for people who must obtain drinking water from untreated sources such as rivers and lakes. There are many portable water purifier available for camping, hiking, and other travel in remote areas. Portable water purifier can be used to remove bad taste, chlorine, odors and other substances like mercury and lead.

Portable pump filters as water purifier are available with ceramic filters to remove pathogens. Some portable pump filters also using activated charcoal filters. These filters with activated charcoal will be able to remove most bacteria and protozoa, but it will not be able to kill viruses with less than 0.3 micrometer diameters. To complete the process of water purification, disinfection by chemicals or ultraviolet lights is required. On the market there are polymer and ceramic filters that incorporated iodine post-treatment to kill viruses and bacteria that cannot be filtered out, but these filters are not advisable due to the possible adverse health effects.

Even though the filter can do great job on removing bacteria and fungi from the drinking water when it is new, but used filters eventually can be colonized by the bacteria and fungi. Silver metal nanoparticles can be bond to the ceramic element and the activated charcoal to suppress the pathogens growth.