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Water purification is as easy as riding a bike, according to
Yuichi Katsuura, president of Nippon Basic Company.
The Japanese water purification company recently discussed
ramping-up production of their portable system called "Cycloclean," which is powered
by pedaling a bicycle. The man-powered system relies of the turning of the bike's
chain to drive a motor to pump water through a series of filters. Nippon Basic
estimates that the Cycloclean can purify 1.3 gallons (five litres) of water in
a minute. Riding the bike for 10 hours would result in about three tons of
water, an amount that could supply 1,500 people for a day.
The bikes also boast puncture-free tires and an "attaché case-like
box" for housing the pump and hoses. Three filter cartridges are positioned
around the rear wheel.
So far, the company has sold 200 bikes since the first
introduction in 2005. Most of those bikes went to local governments in Japan
and smaller numbers went to Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Myanmar,
and the Philippines.
Nippon Basic has already seen demand for more Cycloclean
bikes in Bangladesh and hopes to bring local production into full-swing by
April of this year.
Sources: PhysOrg,
Wired
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Re: Water Purification on the Go
