There are various uses of silver besides investment. Silver-containing treatments such as silver nanoparticles are an effective tool for killing disease-causing bacteria. Recently, scientists from Carnegie Mellon University in the US have come up with a “Drinkable Book” containing silver or copper nanoparticles, which could make contaminated water pure by 99.9%.

Nearly 358 million people in sub-Saharan Africa do not have dependable access to drinking water. This book is both a water filter and an instruction manual that can be used to filter water. Trials have been conducted in 25 water contaminated sites in Ghana, Kenya, Haiti, South Africa, and Bangladesh. They have proved that particles of copper and silver could destroy over 99% of bacteria bringing water safety levels comparable to those of US drinking water.

During the filtration process, tiny amounts of silver and copper leached into the water, but these have been well below the safety limits. Those with a “Drinkable Book” in hand just need to tear out a page, pour it into an easy-to-use filter holder and pour water into it from streams, rivers, wells etc. and voila! – outcomes clean water along with dead bacteria.

As the contaminated water percolates through the page, silver or copper ions come off the surface of the nanoparticles, and the bugs absorb them. According to the trials, one page can clean up to 100 litres of water, and one book can clean one person’s water supply for four years.