Scientist Guihua Yu (in his lab in 2023) created an inexpensive filter that makes contaminated water safe to drink.Photo:Courtesy Jack Myer/The University of Texas at AustinGrowing up in rural southeast China, Dr. Guihua Yu watched as people in his small mountainous community suffered from a lack of clean water.“It was usually very muddy from the creeks, and it was quite common for kids to drink bacteria,” says Yu, 43, now a professor of material sciences and engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.“They got diarrhea and became sick and then had difficulty getting into a hospital to see a doctor,” he says. “It happened very, very often.“Yu’s experience inspired him to develop technology to filter polluted water to make it suitable for consumption — especially in developing countries where access to clean water is limited. “I wanted to find a very low-cost way to help millions in need,” he says.At a cost of less than $2, Yu’s invention could be a game changer in developing countries.Courtesy Jack Myer/The university of Texas at AustinHis solution: solar energy. “By using sunlight to evaporate the water, you can get rid of contaminants,” he says.For more of our Earth Day Special, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribehere.In the last two years, Yu’s team has applied the technology to create a simple, inexpensive filtration system that can also be used toremove nearly all plastic nanoparticles from water— a growing concern among researchers.“Marine scientists understand that marine animals exposed to plastic particles in the ocean take years to develop symptoms,” he says. “This is also true for people drinking from plastic bottles. Over time, it can hurt the kidneys and liver.”The filter is already being used to treat contaminated water in Uganda, and Yu hopes it will soon be available to households around the world at a cost of less than $2.Eventually, the technology can be scaled up to filter quantities of water large enough to serve communities.“It’s worrisome for parents because plastic is almost everywhere,” says Yu, a married father of three. “That’s really scary, especially for young kids.”
Scientist Guihua Yu (in his lab in 2023) created an inexpensive filter that makes contaminated water safe to drink.Photo:Courtesy Jack Myer/The University of Texas at Austin
Courtesy Jack Myer/The University of Texas at Austin
Growing up in rural southeast China, Dr. Guihua Yu watched as people in his small mountainous community suffered from a lack of clean water.“It was usually very muddy from the creeks, and it was quite common for kids to drink bacteria,” says Yu, 43, now a professor of material sciences and engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.“They got diarrhea and became sick and then had difficulty getting into a hospital to see a doctor,” he says. “It happened very, very often.“Yu’s experience inspired him to develop technology to filter polluted water to make it suitable for consumption — especially in developing countries where access to clean water is limited. “I wanted to find a very low-cost way to help millions in need,” he says.At a cost of less than $2, Yu’s invention could be a game changer in developing countries.Courtesy Jack Myer/The university of Texas at AustinHis solution: solar energy. “By using sunlight to evaporate the water, you can get rid of contaminants,” he says.For more of our Earth Day Special, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribehere.In the last two years, Yu’s team has applied the technology to create a simple, inexpensive filtration system that can also be used toremove nearly all plastic nanoparticles from water— a growing concern among researchers.“Marine scientists understand that marine animals exposed to plastic particles in the ocean take years to develop symptoms,” he says. “This is also true for people drinking from plastic bottles. Over time, it can hurt the kidneys and liver.”The filter is already being used to treat contaminated water in Uganda, and Yu hopes it will soon be available to households around the world at a cost of less than $2.Eventually, the technology can be scaled up to filter quantities of water large enough to serve communities.“It’s worrisome for parents because plastic is almost everywhere,” says Yu, a married father of three. “That’s really scary, especially for young kids.”
Growing up in rural southeast China, Dr. Guihua Yu watched as people in his small mountainous community suffered from a lack of clean water.
“It was usually very muddy from the creeks, and it was quite common for kids to drink bacteria,” says Yu, 43, now a professor of material sciences and engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.
“They got diarrhea and became sick and then had difficulty getting into a hospital to see a doctor,” he says. “It happened very, very often.”
Yu’s experience inspired him to develop technology to filter polluted water to make it suitable for consumption — especially in developing countries where access to clean water is limited. “I wanted to find a very low-cost way to help millions in need,” he says.
At a cost of less than $2, Yu’s invention could be a game changer in developing countries.Courtesy Jack Myer/The university of Texas at Austin
Courtesy Jack Myer/The university of Texas at Austin
His solution: solar energy. “By using sunlight to evaporate the water, you can get rid of contaminants,” he says.
For more of our Earth Day Special, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribehere.
In the last two years, Yu’s team has applied the technology to create a simple, inexpensive filtration system that can also be used toremove nearly all plastic nanoparticles from water— a growing concern among researchers.
“Marine scientists understand that marine animals exposed to plastic particles in the ocean take years to develop symptoms,” he says. “This is also true for people drinking from plastic bottles. Over time, it can hurt the kidneys and liver.”
The filter is already being used to treat contaminated water in Uganda, and Yu hopes it will soon be available to households around the world at a cost of less than $2.
Eventually, the technology can be scaled up to filter quantities of water large enough to serve communities.
“It’s worrisome for parents because plastic is almost everywhere,” says Yu, a married father of three. “That’s really scary, especially for young kids.”
source: people.com
