ZeeWeed -- the illustrious membrane that processes NEWater -- is just one of the successful new technologies used to purify water of bacteria. But it's so captivating a product that it is developing a cultlike devotion among futurists and sustainability nuts. A proprietary technology from the Canadian company Zenon Environmental, it's even made its way into an art museum. Designer Bruce Mau, the curator of "Massive Change," a show about the future of design at the Vancouver Art Gallery, features ZeeWeed membranes and NEWater as two examples of the thousands of ways that design is radically changing the way we approach life on earth.

Mau mentions the ZeeWeed name with the same reverence with which other designers might talk about the flat-screen TV or the Toyota Prius. He is one of the few North Americans who has sipped NEWater.

"It really doesn't taste like much, except for maybe like particularly pure spring water," he says. "I think they even have to add back in some of the 'water' taste."

ZeeWeed consists of plastic fibers in the shape of thin tubes with billions of microspores. When a little suction is applied to the top of each tube, the resulting action is similar to sucking water out of a straw that's been pinpricked with holes -- except that these holes are small enough to screen out even viruses. Air bubbles at the bottom of the tubes make them sway under water like long, thin stalks of seaweed, which knocks off any debris that may stick to the membranes. Independent tests, including ones conducted by BioVir Laboratories of Benicia, Calif., found that the Zenon filter reduces 99.99999 percent of bacteria and 99.7 percent of viruses.

It is predicted that ZeeWeed membranes (and comparable membranes from competitive companies) will become widespread as additional North American water-treatment plants upgrade to better technologies. The Pennsylvania communities of Lancaster and Charleroi, which use surface water as a drinking-water source, as well as an Ontario city, have each placed orders for $30 million worth of membranes from Zenon. According to Zenon, 440 wastewater and drinking-water treatment plants worldwide (including more than 200 in the U.S.) are already using or are under construction to use Zenon technology. Zenon is also unveiling a high-end product, Homespring, for homeowners bored with their Sub-Zero freezers. Its retail price is around $2,800.

Understandably, these new membranes are prohibitively expensive -- and too complicated -- to keep up in a developing country, which is why a relatively wealthy country like Singapore can experiment with the technology but others have not. And that is why the technology Gadgil created, UV Waterworks, has proven so effective.

A small lightweight unit that disinfects water through ultraviolet light, the Waterworks purifies four gallons of water every minute at an estimated cost of 5 cents for every thousand gallons. One unit is intended for a community of about 2,000 people. Gadgil says more than 300 units are functioning around the world, mostly in developing countries.

Gadgil developed his invention -- and became committed to the cause of pure drinking water -- after a tragic outbreak in 1992 of the "Bengal cholera" in his native India. In one month alone, nearly 10,000 people died from the disease, spread through drinking water. Today, Gadgil says, "science is making substantial advances -- you see more practical applications emerging (like membranes, for example) that are very desirable and very positive. However, there is still a huge gap in terms of socially responsible businesses bringing the latest scientific advances to the bottom of the economic pyramid. Scientists, engineers and researchers still need to work with business entrepreneurs to come up with something that not only solves problems, but is also financially viable."

For more on the global water crisis:
BBC News
United Nations University
Pacific Institute

For more about water treatment:
The EPA
National Resources Defense Council
WateReuse Association
National Risk Management Research Laboratory

Online discussion groups:
Safe Water Reuse

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