NanoFilter
NanoFilter is the water filter developed as the result of innovation by the Tanzanian senior-lecturer[1] and chemical engineer, Dr. Askwar Hilonga from The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST)- Arusha in Tanzania. After spending almost five years[2] from 2010 to continue refining the nanomaterials to the NanoFilter. It was very difficult to come up to the final water filter with this idea as it was too difficult to protect it in all these years. But Dr. Hilonga used the appropriate Intellectual property Rights (IPRs) strategy[3] to protect this idea up to the end, and in fact, the product of this innovation won the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation,[4][5] this is especially the lesson to young scientists in developing countries.
As Dr. Askwar Hilonga[1] grew up in a remote area as part of the community, he witnessed the suffering experienced by the majority of people in the villages in Tanzania and probably this is a common problem in most of the poorest countries in the world. Problems like waterborne diseases really kill people every day due to the use of unsafe water.
Nevertheless, especially in the northern part of the beautiful country of Tanzania. The water that most people are using seems to contain fluoride while bacteria remain in the content of water in most of the villages in developing countries.
The nanoFilter idea resulted from the visit this African Scientist made to his parents' village found in Arusha where people were still drinking dirty water which scares him, that his people were going to continue suffering from water-borne disease.
It has a slow sand filter with a combination of nanomaterials made from sodium silicate and silver to eliminate toxic heavy metals such as copper, fluoride, or other chemical contaminants depending on a particular geographical area. Water first passes through the sand and then through the nanomaterials.[2]
It then absorbs all the contaminants leaving water very clean and safe and can later be removed manually.
NanoFilter is the filter that can filtrate water for about 99.999%[7][8] and making water free from bacteria, microorganisms, and Viruses hence making the drinking water safe for domestic usage.
References
1^ Jump up to:a b "The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology Staff". Retrieved 23 August 2017.
2^ Jump up to:a b Jewell, Catherine (August 2015). "Tanzanian entrepreneur develops innovative water filter". World Intellectual Property Organisation. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
3^ "Nanofilter: An African innovation for safe drinking water". How We Made It in Africa.
4^ "Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation". Royal Academy of Engineering.
5^ Kennedy, Paul. "Tanzanian water filter takes top innovation prize". SciBraai.
6^ Reuters Staff. "Reuters". Reuters. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
7^ "NanoFilter Tanzania Invention". BBC News. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
8^ "Gongali Model". Gongali Model.
