Proctor & Gamble (Pur) Gets Green Award
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.15.05
Sure there are plenty of water purification technologies and some like the solar still pictured here sound pretty virtuous from an energy input standpoint. But the big stationary solution is of little value in an emergency, or for people who are traveling or dislocated. That's why it got our attention when the Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG), USA, was awarded the 2005 Stockholm Industry Water Award in recognition of its development of the PUR -- Purifier of Water(R) drinking water treatment system. Designed for use in the developing world,the product consists of an envelope of chemicals commonly used in conventional municipal water treatment. Each sachet contains powder to treat 10 litres of water and is effective in removing bacteria, viruses, parasites and some heavy metals in contaminated water.
The powdered product, which includes ferric sulphate and calcium hypochlorite, is delivered in small envelopes costing US$ 0.10/each. The treatment process involves stirring the water for 5 minutes until clear, filtering the water through a cloth, disposing of separated floc, and, finally, letting the water stand for 20 minutes to allow for complete disinfection.
A wonder for disaster recovery and helping displaced people. Can hikers or "off-grid" folk make use of it? A dime for a couple gallons of clean water sure beats those $50 filters in the outdoor supply catalogs.
For reference: Established in 2000 by the Stockholm Water Foundation in collaboration with the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the award is presented each August during the annual World Water Week in Stockholm, August 21-27, 2005 ( http://www.worldwaterweek.org ).
Something can not be 'green' if Proctor & Gamble makes it...
P&G has incredible reach around the world and this product can save thousands every year who needlessly die because of lack of access to safe drinking water. If you want to change the world, it's better to ally yourself with those with the power to change it. It's encouraging that they've identified a business opportunity that is aligned with social good. Let's hope it's a trend. Cynicism is paralyzing.
You can get a cheap filter bottle for 10 bucks on sale, and its a lot more convenient. Such a powder would be useful for treating large quantities of water, such as in a mini water treatment plant.
Dear "me": two interesting comments in one, to which I respond here. The idea of the P&G system is: long shelf life, cheap to hold in long term inventory, fast and cheap to distribute to distant emergencies, minimum plastic waste streams created in the field, no training or language skills needed (the instructions are a series of 6 graphics), and deals with a wide range of pathogenic organisms as well as silt and opacity.
Conventional point of consumption portable filters are made to handle water that is reasonably low in opacity and with a low load of suspended solids: e.g. a freshwater lake or stream in the US. In developing nations, droughnt stressed people are literally drinking out of mud puddles contaminated with fecal and strep bacteria, virus, and tropic parasites. Unfortunately, the hiker type filter is prone to clogging up quite rapidly in this situation, hence the need for a precipitation/sterilization bundle and no chance of plugging. It will be possible for a thirsty family to grab any old container, even a dried gourd lined with a sheep bladder for that m atter, and use it to good result with this system.
I first read about this products use after the Tsunami in the Wall Street Journal. After watching the Katrina coverage I'm thinking this would be good to keep for emergencies. Anyone know where its for sale?
I emailed the company and got a prompt response. They doesn't sell the sachets in the US at this time, but they hope to in the future, pending EPA registartion. I, too, would love to have them around for emergencies.