A teenager has developed a solution that could revolutionize water purification in Bangladesh, per reports by the Business Standard.
Seventeen-year-old Zabeer Zarif Akhter has created a sustainable water purifying system that uses electronic waste. The first-of-its-kind method uses the power of plasma technology to purify water.
Akhter developed a prototype that turns contaminated water into a plasma stream. Using both ultraviolet radiation and plasma sterilization, Akhter can successfully remove pathogens, such as E. coli, TC, and FD, from the water.
Thanks to an advanced automatic flow and pressure control system for industrial design, Akhter also improved the method's efficiency and reliability.
"This breakthrough represents a significant stride towards sustainable, environment-friendly and cost effective water management practices, heralding a new era in the fight against water pollution," Tanvir Ahmed, a professor of civil engineering at Buet and jury board member for Stockholm Junior Water Prize Bangladesh, told the Business Standard.
For remote areas especially, Akhter's prototype offers a viable solution for effectively removing harmful pathogens from water sources. The design is simple — it only requires two carbon electrodes and a circuit, making it easily adaptable.
Water pollution is a major crisis in Bangladesh with unregulated industrial and domestic waste contaminating drinking water. Akhter's e-waste water purification system is an affordable solution for supplying communities with clean drinking water.
Titled "High Voltage Plasma Water Purifier from E-waste," Akhter's project and amazing discovery earned him the Bangladesh Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2024.
According to the Embassy of Sweden in Dhaka, Akhter will be representing Bangladesh at this year's Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition at World Water Week in Sweden.
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"This young visionary has triumphed with his groundbreaking water innovation, inspiring us all with his commitment to a sustainable future," the Bangladesh Stockholm Junior Water Prize authority told the Business Standard.
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