In our pursuit of advanced technology, we forget that mother nature has already patented all the best ideas. With just a hose clamp, some plastic tubing, and piece of tree branch, you can create a simple water filter.
A research team at MIT came up with what's dubbed a "xylem filter, " named for the xylem tissue in the tree branch that transports sap inside of a tree. Rohit Karnik, associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, explains:
"Today's filtration membranes have nanoscale pores that are not something you can manufacture in a garage very easily. The idea here is that we don't need to fabricate a membrane, because it's easily available. You can just take a piece of wood and make a filter out of it."
The type of wood required for the filter is called sapwood and is a common part of many different species of tree, including white pine. Just cut the branch piece, strip the bark, insert it tightly into a plastic tube, and secure it with a hose clamp. All in all, the setup would cost less than a couple dollars. To learn more about the xylem filer, check out the link below.
Water Filter Made from a Tree Branch Removes 99% of E. coli Bacteria | Ecopreneurist via Adafruit