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The pots alone clean the water pretty well, but
they don’t get out all of the dangerous bacteria. Silver
is a disinfectant that can kill dangerous bacteria.
Potters thought if they painted the pots with a thin
layer of silver, it would make the water even safer to
drink. Before the engineers got involved, the potters
were painting their pots with silver nitrates. When
Oyanedel-Craver tested these pots, she discovered
that 40 percent of the silver nitrates came off the
first time the filter was used. This was wasteful and
potentially dangerous. After much testing, Oyanedel-
Craver and others discovered that painting the pots
with ultrafine silver particles was less wasteful. This
new paint worked better to remove most of the
bacteria.
Vinka Oyanedel-Craver is an environmental
engineer who grew up in Chile. She discovered in
high school that she wanted to be an engineer. One
of her teachers told her that he thought she would be
a good engineer. Today, she makes a difference in the
communities that use these filters. Because of this work, many people
in these communities have jobs making the pots. And everyone who
depends on these filters can trust that the water from the filter is clean
and safe to drink.
Painting the pots
with silver kills
more bacteria.
Making ceramic
water filter pots
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