06/03/2006 - Scientists
at the Environment Agency’s national laboratory
service at Starcross near Exeter have been
putting a pioneering water purification
filter through its paces
The hi-tech device, designed for use by
the military and outdoor survival enthusiasts,
proved so effective it is now used by the
SAS and RAF. The filter can be connected
up to a personal hydration pack to provide
a source of clean and safe drinking water.
A UK representative of the filter’s American
manufacturer visited the Starcross laboratory
last summer, ‘He basically showed us the
filter and asked us to test it to its limits,’
said Wayne Civil, head of the laboratory’s
research and development team. The device
had already undergone tests in America,
but the manufacturer, Seychelle Environmental
Technologies from California, were keen
to have it tested by an independent UK laboratory
and meet the latest Ministry of Defence
(MOD) specifications. The company is one
of the world’s leading manufacturers of
portable water filtration products.
Wayne Civil and his team designed a series
of rigorous laboratory tests to measure
the filter’s ability to remove a wide range
of harmful substances from heavy metals
and industrial chemicals to disease carrying
micro-organisms such as E coli and cryptosporidium.
The filter, known as an ‘In-Line Eliminator’,
uses a specially patented purification system
called ‘Ionic-Adsorption Micro-Filtration’
to remove harmful contaminants.
The cylinder-shaped device comprises three
main components – a coconut carbon filter,
a ceramic disk and iodine coated beads.
Any large organisms are effectively ‘shredded’
on the ceramic disk. An electro-static charge
around the iodine-coated beads attracts
smaller organisms rendering them harmless.
The carbon filter then traps and retains
contaminants.
The manufacturer was keen to test the filter’s
ability to remove micro-organisms causing
particularly harmful diseases such as anthrax
and polio. The challenge for the scientists
at Starcross was to create surrogate organisms
that would mimic the real organisms that
were too dangerous to use.
‘It turned into a real team effort with
our colleagues in micro-biology producing
samples of surrogate organisms for us to
test in the filter,’ said Wayne Civil. On
completion of the testing the filter was
found to remove up to 99.9% of harmful contaminants
– exceeding expectations and meeting the
stringent requirements of the MOD.
‘This project posed some tough technical
challenges, but the excellent outcome more
than made up for the time and effort we’ve
put in. In addition to testing, we suggested
some improvements to the filter design.
By delivering a successful solution we have
satisfied a customer who is delighted with
the results,’ said Wayne Civil.
‘The professional service provided by the
Environment Agency’s National Laboratory
Service at Starcross was outstanding. We
could not have sought better advice and
testing from any other laboratory. The results
were impressive and will provide a bench
mark standard for future tests recognised
the world over for these systems,’ said
Giles Butler, UK spokesman for Seychelles
Environmental Technologies.
Note to Editors:
The National Laboratory Service is part
of the Environment Agency for England and
Wales and provides much of the Agency’s
environmental data. This information makes
an essential contribution to the Agency’s
work on protecting and improving the environment.
It also undertakes work for a wide range
of commercial customers.
As a leading environmental laboratory, the
NLS is committed to the maintenance of good
professional practice. An integral part
of its mission is to deliver a high quality
analytical service to its clients.
The quality assurance system adopted by
the NLS is independently assessed by the
United Kingdom Accreditation Service and
meets the requirements of the international
standard BS EN ISO/IEC 17025:2000
The Environment Agency also holds certification
to ISO 9001:200, ISO 14001:1996 and is registered
to the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)
- both these standards are internationally
recognised.
