Water filtration pump provides water to the world
July 18, 2011
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect corrections in factual information about the pump’s function and characteristics.
The invention of an innovative pendulum pump in Cuyahoga Falls could make clean drinking water available without electricity anywhere in the world.
The Gravitational Energy Corporation patented the Feltenberger Pendulum, a water filtration pump using only gravity-assisted power, in 2010.
“This will be virtually revolutionary for third-world countries,” Bruce Feltenberger, inventor and corporation president, said. “It can produce 1,000 gallons of safe drinking water per hour, for any purpose, right on the spot. Our mission is to really get the word out and do more public demonstrations to get the whole thing better known.”
Tom Lukes, communication specialist for GEC, explained the GP210 General Piston Pump uses a 40 pound pendulum designed to pump surface water for irrigation that when used with a filtration system can produce clean drinking water. This invention may be used to assist clean water production in third-world countries and purify water in situations of natural disaster.
The corporation donated one of their production models to Haiti after a 2010 earthquake, helping 4,000 people access clean drinking water.
The pump is designed to be as “easy as pushing a child on a swing” and uses the power of the gravity of a falling object to operate, while only requiring occasional input force by the operator.
Lukes said the new, green technology will not only be significant for advancement in water technologies but will help the job industry in Cuyahoga Falls and the surrounding area.
“Every part of the pump itself is manufactured in northeast Ohio,” he said. “The hope is to create manufacturing jobs to produce the steel, rubber parts and other components.”
According to the corporation’s website, the pump is significantly cheaper than drilling for water or buying large numbers of bottled water.
The Feltenberger Pendulum is currently available to the public for purchase and is offered in various model configurations to suit individual needs.
Contact Summer Kent Stater reporter Drew Parker at [email protected].