Free Republic

The great Maya city of Tikal transported zeolites for water filtration thousands of years before other cultures learned or adopted the idea, archaeologists have found. The filtration was probably much better than anything known to the Europeans who conquered the area 1,500 years later. The Corriental reservoir was one of Tikal’s sources of drinking water. Dr Kenneth Tankersley of the University of Cincinnati found crystalline quartz and zeolite when digging at the reservoir. Neither are local to the area and would have had to be brought a long way by the standards of a people who had no beasts of...

Finding a cheap and effective water purification process would have global implications. A research team from the University of Texas at Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering has developed a new cost-effective and compact technology that combines gel-polymer hybrid materials to improve the purification process for drinking water. The new materials possess both hydrophilic—an attraction to water—qualities and semiconducting, or solar-absorbing properties. This enables the hydrogel to produce clean, safe drinking water from virtually any source, whether it's from the oceans or contaminated supplies. “We have essentially rewritten the entire approach to conventional solar water evaporation,” Guihua Yu, associate professor of...

Denmark has signed an agreement to provide water purification technology to the thirsty coastal US state of California, in a deal that could bring millions into the Danish economy. The west coast state will spend millions of dollars over the coming years on improving water quality and reducing waste. The deal signed with the Danish Ministry for Food and the Environment will provide the opportunity for Danish business to be involved in that development, the ministry said in a press statement. Minister Esben Lunde Larsen, who signed the agreement, said the Californian market was ideal for Danish water technology. Although...

Disasters happen. From Hurricane Sandy, Irene, Andrew and Katrina to the devastating Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown, disasters strike without warning and the aftermath can be as devastating as the event. During an emergency, water supplies are often contaminated and disrupted, sometimes for an extended period of time. Without a safe supply of drinking water, healthy people who could otherwise provide for their family can become severely ill within days. At greater risk are children and infants. People take safe drinking water for granted. They don’t think about their water supplies, nor do they think about the vulnerability of...

With the downward spiral of society and the economy ensured by Obama's narrow reelection, I am now looking at gear to ensure, or at least greatly improve, my family's survival when TSHTF.I have 3-4 months supply of food including canned goods, dried goods, MREs and stuff we use regularly. I have ammunition and firearms to protect it and a couple of alternative escape plans just in case. I also have a hand-crank radio and lighting to ensure communication and illumination. Last election season also helped us define which neighbors would be potential allies, most of them military veterans including a...

I recently came across (via a Facebook post) an article about Lifestraw, a device for making biologically contaminated water safe to drink. The marketing and publicity around this product seems exclusively geared towards the third world, as a way of preventing diarrhea-causing infections, which are the world's #1 cause of death. One Lifestraw can supposedly filter enough water for one person for one year, before the filtering capacity diminishes. Such filtration removes bacteria, viruses, protists, and just about any other form of biological contamination. Presumably, it cannot remove salt, chemical pollution, or other substances which are truly soluble, since filters...

Coca-Cola Co plans to deliver and operate water purification systems in rural parts of the developing world, working with the inventor of the Segway transportation device in a project that will also help further Coke's sustainability targets. Coca-Cola Co plans to deliver and operate water purification systems in rural parts of the developing world, working with the inventor of the Segway transportation device in a project that will also help further Coke's sustainability targets. The world's largest soft drink maker said on Tuesday that it is teaming up with American inventor Dean Kamen to roll out his new invention, called...

You've heard of the Berkey water purifier, right? It is supposed to be the best of the best. And they charge according to that reputation. For years, that reputation was well deserved. However in 2010, they had a batch of bad filters. The ceramic filter was not properly glued to the plastic base, and this allowed unfiltered water to rush around the filter, rather than through it. They thought they fixed that problem, and released more filters in early to mid 2011, that were also bad. This time, they used an adhesive that sticks to the ceramic element, but doesn't...

TEPCO struggling to treat contaminated water at crippled nuclear plant Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) is struggling to treat a massive amount of water contaminated with radioactive substances at its crisis-stricken Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant. The problems stem from persistent instability in a system that went into full operation on July 2 to purify highly radioactive water and use it to cool down the plant's reactor cores. As a result, the amount of radioactive water in the reactor buildings and other areas of the plant grounds is in fact increasing. The water purification and recycle system must be...

I posted a similar message a couple of months ago, and we generated quite a few great ideas for stocking up on certain things in case of a major emergency. We have been stocking up on non-perishables and medical supplies. Next will be emergency equipment: flashlights, batteries, candles, soap, tp, trash bags. Any suggestions?

Chinese Fluoride In Mass. Water Raises Concern Team 5 Investigates After Amesbury Pulls Sodium Fluoride From Water Supply POSTED: 6:12 pm EST March 11, 2010 UPDATED: 12:05 pm EST March 12, 2010 AMESBURY, Mass. -- Fluoride is added to the water most of us drink because the government believes it's a safe and inexpensive way to prevent tooth decay. However, Team 5 Investigates found the Amesbury Water Department pulled fluoride from its system amid concerns about its supply from China. Department of Public Works Director Rob Desmarais said after he mixes the white powder with water, 40 percent of it...

On Tuesday night, devastation struck the island of Haiti. As soon as news broke, Tom Garcia, candidate for Congress in Florida’s 24th district, got in touch with other candidates across the state and established a coalition for Haitian relief. The candidates discussed a strategy for relief for half of the night. At 1:00 am, the plan was finalized, Garcia had located a water purification expert who had led other disaster relief missions, a Cessna was filled with high-level purifiers and the two flew into Port au Prince. Touching ground, Garcia, a former naval commander, spent the first day distributing food...

Albuquerque's Altela Inc. has been granted exclusive rights to use Arizona State University-developed water purification technology worldwide. The deal with Arizona Technology Enterprises LLC means that Altela can use it to remediate industrial waste-water and seawater and for a wealth of other water purification needs, said Altela CEO Ned Godshall. The company previously had rights only to sell such services and products to the oil and gas industry for cleanup of brackish "produced" water at well sites. The license "will now accelerate our plans to commercialize this exciting and elegant technology for all water applications," Godshall said in a news...