This looks like a really interesting development from South Africa. It’s a water filter that consists of a re-usable bottle and a replaceable, tea bag-like filter containing carbon and antimacrobial fibers that costs around half a US cent.
If it gains the necessary approvals this product is expected to make it onto the market by the end of this year and then field trials would determine its viability in the field. A key concern is that the system will require a continuous supply of filters and how would these get to remote areas? ColaLife, if successful, might be able to help out here.
This was spotted here on Treehugger.com who also provided some useful links to other possible drinking water solutions for Africa:
Clean Water Everywhere: DIY Clay Water Filters
Filtered Water In 2 Minutes with New UV Light Bottle Invention
While this is better than nothing, I would think a bigger filter is in order. The water needs to be exposed to the filter media as long as possible. The longer the water draws through the filter, the more filtering takes place. In a perfect world I’d like to see a carbon filter the size of a Coke can filled with high quality coconut carbon. The water should then just trickle through the filter. The quality of the water would be quite improved after that. Oh, and a nice micron filter on that would be good too.