Japanese company, Nippon Basic has created the “Cycloclean,” a bicycle equipped with a water purifier, which is powered by pedaling. This innovative design includes non-puncture tires and a box attached to the rear carrier that holds the pump and hoses. Three filter cartridges are fitted around the rear wheel.
Cycloclean is great for use in remote villages and disaster zones, where access to clean water is scarce. The rider can commute to a water source, lower the hose – which can siphon water as deep as five meters – into the source, raise the bicycle up on its stand – lifting the rear wheel off the ground – and start pedaling. The bike can produce five liters (1.3 gallons) of clean water in just one minute, so a team of riders could product large amounts of water in a relatively short period of time.
This unique invention does not come without a hefty price tag. The cost is around 550,000 yen – approximately $6,700 U.S. dollars. However, the company has produced around 200 bikes in the last five years, and is getting ready for mass production in Bangladesh.
If governments were willing to put up the money for it, the Cycloclean could be a great solution to the dirty water crisis in developing countries where women walk for miles a day to gather water for their families – water that is usually contaminated and likely to make them sick. A bike would speed up the process of water collection in African villages and other poor countries, giving women more time to care for their families and giving children more opportunities for education. The Cycloclean could also be used for athletic fundraising events. If 500 bikers rode for just one hour, collectively, they would produce 39,000 gallons of clean water for those in need.
Overall, we give the Cycloclean two thumbs up.
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