Despite the extraordinary technological advance of the last decades, more than 2 billion people around the world still use a drinking water source contaminated with feaces, and at least 4.5 billion lack safe sanitation (WHO, 2017). To address this global challenge effectively, we need disruptive innovation. Incremental innovation is no longer enough.
On July 19th, 2018, the effectiveness of the Plasma Water Sanitation System (PWSS) technology, invented and developed by AIC Technologies, was successfully validated through rigorous microbiological tests performed at the Comparative Molecular Immuno-Physiopathology Lab (LIPMC), of the University of Montpellier – one of the most advanced laboratories in molecular pathology in Europe -.
The microbiological tests used water with extremely high concentrations of Vibrio Cholerae (7.4 x 108 bacteria – almost 1,000 million – per 100 ml) and E. coli (4.3 x 107 bacteria per 100 ml). The analysis of the treated water samples yielded an unprecedented result: no live bacteria were detected – complete elimination of the microbiological contents.
Two detection methods were used: filtering membrane (industry standard) and an ultra-sensitive pathogen detection system, ApoH, developed by LIPMC, which has significantly higher accuracy compared to standard techniques.
The World Health Organization estimates that every year there are up to 4 million cases of cholera in the world, affecting mostly people in poverty. The large-scale implementation of PWSS technology, in its diverse applications, will be carried out according to the Integrated Objectives Model, making this technology available to address global problems of access to safe water.
Millions of people affected by outbreaks of diseases could be benefited by distributed solutions of easy installation and operation, significantly impacting their hygiene and health conditions, and saving thousands of lives.
Access to potable water is one of the most complex humanitarian problems; the lack of it has direct impact in the multiplication of poverty in the world. The basic consumption of clean water and hygiene are fundamental for the health of children, families and communities, preventing the spread of diseases and generating favorable conditions for human development. (WHO/UNICEF, 2017).
Scaling a disruptive technology in the water industry has not been easy. There are innumerable products, however, they have not been designed to reach the most vulnerable contexts. After 7 years of prototypes, testing in real conditions – underserved, communities, schools - and continuous technological improvements, we have PWSS products manufactured with European certification and ISO standards.
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