Portable Device for Water Purification in Emergencies

Research project “Portable device for water purification in emergencies” is dedicated to the issue of ensuring access to safe drinking water in emergency situations. In the conditions of war, the quality of drinking water becomes extremely important. Completely or partially destroyed water infrastructure facilities, soil and water resources contaminated with hazardous substances due to numerous rocket attacks and damaged industrial facilities – all this deprives people of access to safe drinking water.

Young researchers has developed a portable water treatment device that, unlike mobile complex surface or groundwater treatment systems, does not require an uninterrupted power supply. The use of such a device with a “carbon block” type filter element in extreme conditions allows to ensure the basic needs of the people in safe drinking water.

Since the beginning of the war, we have faced a tremendous amount of emergencies, when it is difficult to get quality water. We thought: "What can we do to provide people with safe quality water?"  So we came up with the idea of creating a portable device which consists of activated carbon and polyethylene for fixation of the structure so it both functions as a sorbent and as a filter.

In the conditions of war and extreme life situations, the main task is to provide people with basic life products and drinking water, the shortage of which occurs as a result of the numerous destruction of infrastructure facilities. In the conditions of war in the front and near-front zones and in the newly deoccupied territories, the restoration of critical water infrastructure is impossible due to constant shelling and repeateable destruction. To solve this problem there are mobile complex systems for treatment of surface or underground water, with the help of which the main pollutants are removed from the source water, namely, mechanical, organic and microbiological. Usually, the technology of water treatment with such systems includes disinfection of water with chlorine and dechlorination on carbon filters. However, for the effective operation of such equipment, it is necessary to ensure an uninterrupted power supply, a stable water source and specialized maintenance, which is not always possible in wartime conditions. Therefore, the creation of a portable device with a filter element of the "carbon block" type is a very urgent task today. The use of such a device can allow the implementation of water purification from any source to the level of the requirements of drinking water quality standards and provide basic needs for safe drinking water in extreme conditions. A carbon filter with a fixed structure of the "carbon block" type was developed, in which polyethylene was used as a binding material, and a device was created for the purification of water from natural sources in emergency situations with its use. Recommendations for the use of the developed device for obtaining safe water in the field are formulated.