Young Brazilian invents solar-powered filter to help one million Brazilians

17 / 09 / 2019

By Marwa Nassar - -

Twenty-one-year-old Brazilian Anna Luisa Baserra Beserra invented a filter, Aqualuz, which purifies rainwater collected in a cistern installed in rural areas where running water is not accessible, a situation which affects more than a million people in Brazil.

The water in the cistern is purified using rays from the sun. An indicator changes color when the water is safe to drink.

“I started talking with local communities who told me about sickness in their families, probably due to the lack of clean water. I wanted to do something to help solve the problem,” Beserra said.

“I started researching and found a solar water disinfection method using solar radiation to kill disease. Together with the community, we tested it to create a product they can use which is efficient and durable,” she added.

The filter’s development has been her sole occupation. Since graduating from school, Beserra has worked tirelessly to make Aqualuz,, the filter, now in the final phase of development.

Her invention is low-cost, easy to maintain and clean, and can last up to 20 years. Although currently being tested in Brazil, it has potential for application in other countries.

Aqualuz has already delivered clean drinking water to 265 people and Beserra and her team are negotiating with companies supplying cisterns, to reach another 700 people by the end of 2019.

“I’m doing something that I hope can make people’s lives better and save lives. My vision is to reach more than one million families in Brazil with existing cisterns. Everyone deserves clean water to drink,” she concluded.