Need a water filter? Peel a tree branch – or not

[Rex Sanders]

MIT researchers found that a small chunk of Eastern White Pine branch can effectively filter E. coli bacteria and probably most viruses from water.

MIT press release, PLOS One journal article.

Except:

• You can produce only 4 liters per day, i.e. filtering 1 liter takes 6 hours.
• You need 5 psi of pressure to get that flow, equivalent to 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) of gravity head.
• They ran only a few milliliters of water through the branch, who knows if you can really get 4 liters per day.
• You can't let the branch dry out, or it stops working.
• They tested only Pinus strobus, and they are pretty sure it won't work with hardwoods.

Bottom line: Don't depend on filtering your water through a tree branch any time soon.

— Rex

[Andy F]

But burn that (down) branch, and you can purify the water much faster and more effectively by boiling it. :)

[Andrew U]

It would probably be faster to hydrate by chewing on pine needles. Must have been a slow day at the lab to bother testing this.

[Author]

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