There are several water treatment methods available for developing countries. One of the most promsing technologies is membrane technology. Membrane Technology has advanced much over the last few years. Applications of membranes include water treatment, waste-water treatment, petrol-chemicals, electronics, medicine, pharmaceuticals, and many others. As more and more research is done on membranes and membrane technology, membranes are getting cheaper and more robust. However, little has been done so far on the applications of membranes to developing countries. The market in which children are sent to gather wood instead of going to school, in which children drink straight from stagnant ponds, in which one child dies every 5 SECONDS due to unsafe water is largely ignored by the very industry that can make a difference.

This situation must change. Those with the understanding of the technology and the passion to serve must act. It is common knowledge in the membrane industry that a portable 6” diameter standard microfiltration membrane module is able to remove bacteria from more than 1 tonne of water a day (less than 50L/hr) for an extended period of time, with minimal maintenance. Imagine what a unit that was custom built for such a purpose could accomplish. The cost of providing water to one person per day treated with a membrane ultrafilter would be less than USD$2 for an entire YEAR.

Membranes have been an integral part of water treatment processes for decades. Ultrafiltration is often used as a pretreatment for reverse osmosis processes for the removal of micro-organisms. Hollow fibers are one of the most common configurations of ultrafiltration membranes. The use of hollow fibers allows a large surface area of membrane to be packed into a small volume, allowing for the treatment of a large amount of water with a very small plant.