Unusual Use of Plant Xylem & Coconut Shell to Make Water Filter

I made a DIY water filter. It demonstrates unusual use of plant xylem & coconut shell to make water filter. I came across this research paper by MIT scientists, Boutilier MSH et al., Water Filtration Using Plant Xylem. PLoS ONE 9(2): e89934. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0089934. I tried out different designs of water filters in CAD that would be safe for drinking when you are traveling or at home. I got creative and used all natural materials. I used coconut shell as a filter funnel because of its shape, strength and attached a natural rubber tube with a xylem from conifers plant inserted into the end of the rubber tube. I am all about creating sustainable solutions that preserves the long term well-being of our communities and the environment.

You can customize the material based on availability.

This project provides safe drinking water in a sustainable natural way to the everyday person. This will help reduce the the number of waterborne diseases, especially among children globally.

Follow the instructions below to create a natural xylem filter which could be used as an engineering material for water purification. 

I designed water filter using plastic bottle, tube and xylem in AUTODESK Tinkercad including dimensions. You could also use AUTODESK Fusion 360.

I designed water filter using coconut shell, natural rubber tube and xylem using AUTODESK Tinkercad. Coconut shells are strong yet can crack so I had to go really slow while drilling the hole.

T-shaped Xylem filter used in AUTODESK Tinkercad for this concepts. Filters could be made using natural material like wood, wooden bowls.

Multi filters can make filtration faster. More the filters, the faster will be the filtration

Xylem is the portion inside the bark of the plant. When wet it comes off easily, like peeling off the skin. Always ensure the bark is saved in water to keep it moist.

I have used coconut shell. You can use other bowl-shaped natural objects. I used multiple (3) filters for faster filtration. You can use more filters to have even faster filtration.

The single xylem successfully filtered the water.

I wanted to increase the efficiency of the filter and now created a multi xylem filter per my CAD design.

• Xylem Filters: Safe, sustainable, and environmentally friendly
• Xylem water filters are inexpensive
• Can be maintained by individuals/rural communities
• Small-scale water filters, easy to carry around for camps
• Wood is abundantly available
• Biodegradable and disposable
• Can reduce waterborne infectious diseases in the world
• Have a big impact on removing bacteria and protozoa that are bigger than xylem pores and not just filtering out dirt like carbon filters

This project brings wisdom from natural world processes to everyday people’s use. Making unusual use of day-to-day materials like xylem of plants and coconut shell as water filter was a fulfilling experience. I have used natural materials, so please let's save our community, environment, and create this wonderful all natural filter and unleash your creativity. Thank you for reading my instructables.