PureMadi, a nonprofit University of Virginia organization,
will introduce a new invention – a simple ceramic water purification tablet –
during its one-year celebration event Friday from 7 to 11 p.m. at Alumni Hall.
Called MadiDrop, the tablet – developed and extensively
tested at U.Va. – is a small ceramic disk impregnated with silver or copper
nanoparticles. It can repeatedly disinfect water for up to six months simply by
resting in a vessel where water is poured. It is being developed for use in
communities in South Africa that have little or no access to clean water.