GIST graduate Dr. Anna Ryu's water purifier selected for KOICA CTS project
□ Dr. Anna Ryu graduated from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST, President Seung Hyeon Moon) in January of 2017, and she founded Water & Life Co., Ltd., a start-up company whose water purifier technology was selected by Korea International Cooperation Agency's Creative Technology Solution Project for 2017.
∘ Water & Life Co., Ltd., produces a water filter based on gravity filtration using a membrane (Hope Water Purifier) whose technology was jointly developed by Professor Kyoung-Woong Kim and Professor Yunho Lee of the School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering.
∘ Through the Creative Technology Solution Project, the Hope Water Purifier will be distributed to more than 30 households and local businesses in Uganda and will be continuously monitored.
□ The origin of the Hope Water Purifier traces its lineage back to 2008 with a project to develop a membrane-based water filtration system for rural communities in Southeast Asia and Africa. This project eventually evolved into a gravity-based membrane filtration system that has been optimized for the rural communities with limited resources.
□ The Hope Water Purifier is a water filtration device that uses a simple gravity-driven membrane process that does not require any energy or consumables to efficiently remove harmful contaminants, microbes, and germs from water. Also, there is no need for back washing, so it is easy to maintain and repair. The installation process is also very simple, so local residents can easily install and operate it, making it very useful for homes and communities.
□ The selection of the Hope Water Purifier for the Creative Technology Solution Project provides GIST with a continuous opportunity for further R&D and to accelerate the commercialization and practical use of various outstanding research results within GIST.
□ In the future, Water & Life Co., Ltd., will distribute the Hope Water Purifier to various parts of the world, including Uganda, Mongolia, Cambodia, Fiji, Kiribati, and Tuvalu.
