New U.S. Device For Purifying Water

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31382, 30 May 1967, Page 5

New U.S. Device For Purifying Water

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) WASHINGTON, May 26. A device using hairthin fibre strands to purify salt or dirty water was reevaled in Washington on Monday on the eve of the world’s largest conference on water problems. The Du Pont company displayed a ten-foot long device which, when marketed, could supply pure water to whole towns or single houses in areas short of drinking water Inside the highly-pressur-ised steel pipe device—called a permeator—are 20 million hollow strands that allow pure water to infiltrate their walls but reject all brackish impurities. Rejected water shoots out one end of the pipe while < pure water runs down the inside of the hairs into a storage tank at the other end. Du Pont acknowledges that ‘ the system, known as reverse ! osmosis, is at present more costly than other water-puri- ' tying methods. But since no heat or chem- ! istry is involved, energy requirements are low—unlike the tremendous energy that will be required of the plan- > ned nuclear desalination i plant in California. The Du Pont water research chief, Mr Robert Wright, sees

ordinary householders and ocean vessels using one of the permeators. They could be laid out in rows to supply cities. .