One page from this ‘drinkable book’ can potentially filter up to 100 litres of drinking water and may provide a cheap, sustainable solution for communities suffering from severe sanitation problems. Theresa Dankovich from Carnegie Mellon University used the idea to launch the concept of a book that could both encourage proper sanitation practices and purify water. Following a postdoctoral stint at the University of Virginia (UVA), she was also able to dope the paper with relatively inexpensive copper nanoparticles.