TEDWomen 2016
Deepika Kurup: A young scientist's quest for clean water
迪皮卡·古拉布: 一位年轻科学家寻求洁净水之路
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Readability: 5.3
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自从 14 岁那年，在印度看到她祖父母房子外的孩子饮用浑浊不堪的水后，迪皮卡·古拉布（Deepika Kurup）便下决心解决世界水危机。她的研究从她家里的厨房开始，最终赢得了一个科学大奖。听听这个年轻科学家是怎么研究出一个节约、环保的净化水方式。
Deepika Kurup - Inventor, student scientist
Water is the basis of life, and too many people around the world suffer from waterborne illnesses. Deepika Kurup is working to change that. Full bio
Water is the basis of life, and too many people around the world suffer from waterborne illnesses. Deepika Kurup is working to change that. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
Every summer, my family and I
travel across the world,
travel across the world,
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每一个夏天，
我和家人都会跨过
我和家人都会跨过
00:17
3,000 miles away
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3000 英里远的地球另一边，
回到文化多元的印度。
00:19
to the culturally diverse
country of India.
country of India.
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要知道，印度以炎热
和潮湿而臭名昭著，
和潮湿而臭名昭著，
00:22
Now, India is a country infamous
for its scorching heat and humidity.
for its scorching heat and humidity.
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对于我来说，面对炎热唯一的
方法就是喝足够的水。
方法就是喝足够的水。
00:27
For me, the only relief from this heat
is to drink plenty of water.
is to drink plenty of water.
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在印度的时候，
00:32
Now, while in India,
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00:34
my parents always remind me
to only drink boiled or bottled water,
to only drink boiled or bottled water,
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我的父母总是提醒我只
喝煮沸的或者瓶装水，
喝煮沸的或者瓶装水，
因为不像美国，
00:39
because unlike here in America,
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00:41
where I can just turn on a tap
and easily get clean, potable water,
and easily get clean, potable water,
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我能直接打开水龙头，
得到洁净和可饮用的水。
得到洁净和可饮用的水。
在印度，水经常是被污染的。
00:46
in India, the water is often contaminated.
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所以我的父母一定要保证
00:49
So my parents have to make sure
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00:51
that the water we drink is safe.
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我们喝的水是安全的。
但是，我很快意识到
00:54
However, I soon realized
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00:56
that not everyone is fortunate enough
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不是所有人都足够幸运，
能够像我们一样享受纯净水。
00:59
to enjoy the clean water we did.
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我祖父母的房子外面，
在印度繁忙的大街上，
在印度繁忙的大街上，
01:03
Outside my grandparents' house
in the busy streets of India,
in the busy streets of India,
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01:07
I saw people standing in long lines
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我看见人们在烈日下，
排着长队，
01:10
under the hot sun
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从一个水龙头往桶里装水。
01:11
filling buckets with water from a tap.
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我甚至看到一个
01:15
I even saw children,
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01:17
who looked the same age as me,
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看起来和我年纪相仿的孩子，
用透明的塑料瓶
01:20
filling up these clear plastic bottles
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01:22
with dirty water
from streams on the roadside.
from streams on the roadside.
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在路边水沟里取脏水。
看着这些孩子，
01:26
Watching these kids
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被迫喝我觉得太脏
01:28
forced to drink water
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01:30
that I felt was too dirty to touch
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不能碰的水，
改变了我对世界的看法。
01:33
changed my perspective on the world.
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这个难以接受的社会不平衡
01:37
This unacceptable social injustice
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01:40
compelled me to want to find a solution
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让我想找到一个对
世界洁净水资源问题的
世界洁净水资源问题的
01:43
to our world's clean water problem.
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解决方案。
我想知道为什么这些孩子缺少水，
01:46
I wanted to know
why these kids lacked water,
why these kids lacked water,
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01:50
a substance that is essential for life.
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一个生命不可或缺的物质。
于是我学到，我们面对着
01:53
And I learned that we are facing
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01:55
a global water crisis.
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全球水危机。
这可能令人惊讶，
01:58
Now, this may seem surprising,
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02:00
as 75 percent of our planet
is covered in water,
is covered in water,
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我们星球面积的 75% 被水覆盖，
02:04
but only 2.5 percent
of that is freshwater,
of that is freshwater,
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但是只有 2.5% 是淡水，
02:08
and less than one percent
of Earth's freshwater supply
of Earth's freshwater supply
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而可为人类所用的地球淡水供应
02:12
is available for human consumption.
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还不到 1% 。
随着人口的增加，
02:15
With rising populations,
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02:17
industrial development
and economic growth,
and economic growth,
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工业发展和经济增长，
02:20
our demand for clean water is increasing,
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我们对洁净水的需求也在增大，
02:23
yet our freshwater resources
are rapidly depleting.
are rapidly depleting.
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可我们的淡水资源正在急速枯竭。
据世界卫生组织统计，
02:27
According to the
World Health Organization,
World Health Organization,
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02:30
660 million people in our world
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世界上 6 亿 6 千万人
02:34
lack access to a clean water source.
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缺少洁净水资源。
缺少洁净水资源是发展中国家
02:37
Lack of access to clean water
is a leading cause of death
is a leading cause of death
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02:41
in children under the age of five
in developing countries,
in developing countries,
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5 岁以下孩子死亡的主要原因，
02:44
and UNICEF estimates that 3,000 children
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据联合国儿童基金会估计，
每天有 3 千个孩子
每天有 3 千个孩子
02:47
die every day from
a water-related disease.
a water-related disease.
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因为与水相关的疾病死亡。
所以回到家后，八年级的一个夏天，
02:52
So after returning home
one summer in eighth grade,
one summer in eighth grade,
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02:55
I decided that I wanted
to combine my passion
to combine my passion
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我决定要把我对解决
02:58
for solving the global water crisis
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世界水危机的热情
03:00
with my interest in science.
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和我对科学的兴趣结合起来。
所以我决定，最好的办法
03:03
So I decided that the best thing to do
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03:05
would be to convert my garage
into a laboratory.
into a laboratory.
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就是把我的车库变成一个实验室。
（笑声）
03:11
(Laughter)
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03:13
Actually, at first I converted
my kitchen into a laboratory,
my kitchen into a laboratory,
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事实上，刚开始，
我把厨房变成了一个实验室，
我把厨房变成了一个实验室，
03:17
but my parents didn't really approve
and kicked me out.
and kicked me out.
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但那时我的父母
并不支持，还把我赶出去了。
并不支持，还把我赶出去了。
我也读了很多和水有关的研究论文，
03:21
I also read a lot of journal papers
on water-related research,
on water-related research,
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我学到现在在发展中国家，
03:25
and I learned that currently
in developing countries,
in developing countries,
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一个叫做太阳消毒的东西，
03:28
something called solar disinfection,
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03:31
or SODIS, is used to purify water.
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或者 SODIS，被用来净化水。
利用 SODIS，干净的塑料瓶
装满被污染的水，
装满被污染的水，
03:35
In SODIS, clear plastic bottles
are filled with contaminated water
are filled with contaminated water
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03:39
and then exposed to sunlight
for six to eight hours.
for six to eight hours.
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然后在阳光下暴晒 6 到 8 小时。
阳光中的紫外线
03:43
The UV radiation from the sun
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03:45
destroys the DNA
of these harmful pathogens
of these harmful pathogens
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摧毁了那些有害病毒的 DNA，
03:49
and decontaminates the water.
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从而实现了水的净化。
虽然 SODIS 使用起来
很简单而且能源效率很高，
很简单而且能源效率很高，
03:51
Now, while SODIS is really easy to use
and energy-efficient,
and energy-efficient,
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03:55
as it only uses solar energy,
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但因为只使用太阳能驱动，
03:57
it's really slow,
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所以这个过程非常慢，
03:59
as it can take up to two days
when it's cloudy.
when it's cloudy.
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阴天可能会花上两天时间。
所以为了让 SODIS 的过程更快，
04:02
So in order to make
the SODIS process faster,
the SODIS process faster,
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人们近期开始使用一种新的方法，
04:06
this new method called photocatalysis
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04:09
has recently been used.
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光催化剂。
那么具体什么是光催化剂？
04:11
So what exactly is this photocatalysis?
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让我们来逐步理解：
04:14
Let's break it down:
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04:15
"photo" means from the sun,
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“光”意思是来自太阳，
“催化剂”是一些能够加快反应的东西。
04:17
and a catalyst is something
that speeds up a reaction.
that speeds up a reaction.
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所以光催化的作用
04:21
So what photocatalysis is doing
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04:23
is it's just speeding up
this solar disinfection process.
this solar disinfection process.
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就是加快了太阳消毒的过程。
当阳光射入并启动光催化剂，
04:27
When sunlight comes in
and strikes a photocatalyst,
and strikes a photocatalyst,
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像 TiO2，又名为二氧化钛，
04:30
like TiO2, or titanium dioxide,
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04:34
it creates these
really reactive oxygen species,
really reactive oxygen species,
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二氧化钛创造出了很多活性氧，
像超氧化物、过氧化氢
和羟基自由基。
和羟基自由基。
04:37
like superoxides, hydrogen peroxide
and hydroxyl radicals.
and hydroxyl radicals.
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这些活性氧
04:42
These reactive oxygen species
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能够移除细菌和有机物，
04:44
are able to remove bacteria and organics
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04:47
and a whole lot of contaminants
from drinking water.
from drinking water.
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和饮用水中的很多污染物。
但很遗憾，
SODIS 光催化剂的使用方式
SODIS 光催化剂的使用方式
04:51
But unfortunately,
there are several disadvantages
there are several disadvantages
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04:55
to the way photocatalytic SODIS
is currently deployed.
is currently deployed.
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有很多缺点。
他们在干净的塑料瓶内壁
04:59
See, what they do is they take
the clear plastic bottles
the clear plastic bottles
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覆盖了一层光催化剂。
05:02
and they coat the inside
with this photocatalytic coating.
with this photocatalytic coating.
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05:07
But photocatalysts like titanium dioxide
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但是像二氧化钛之类的光催化剂，
05:10
are actually commonly used in sunscreens
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事实上经常被使用在太阳镜上，
05:13
to block UV radiation.
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来阻隔紫外线。
所以当瓶子内部被它们覆盖，
05:15
So when they're coated
on the inside of these bottles,
on the inside of these bottles,
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05:18
they're actually blocking
some of the UV radiation
some of the UV radiation
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它们事实上阻隔了紫外线，
05:21
and diminishing the efficiency
of the process.
of the process.
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并减少了过程的效率。
而且，这些光催化剂
05:24
Also, these photocatalytic coatings
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05:26
are not tightly bound
to the plastic bottle,
to the plastic bottle,
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并不是紧紧贴着塑料瓶，
05:29
which means they wash off,
and people end up drinking the catalyst.
and people end up drinking the catalyst.
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意味着它们会被洗掉，
人们最终会食入催化剂。
人们最终会食入催化剂。
虽然 TiO2 相对安全和惰性强，
05:34
While TiO2 is safe and inert,
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05:37
it's really inefficient
if you keep drinking the catalyst,
if you keep drinking the catalyst,
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但一直食入催化剂就会降低净化效率，
05:39
because then you have
to continue to replenish it,
to continue to replenish it,
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因为你需要不断重新加入催化剂，
甚至只是用了几次。
05:42
even after a few uses.
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所以我的目标是解决这些
05:44
So my goal was
to overcome the disadvantages
to overcome the disadvantages
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05:47
of these current treatment methods
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当前方法的问题，
并创造一个安全、可持续的、
05:49
and create a safe, sustainable,
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05:52
cost-effective and eco-friendly
method of purifying water.
method of purifying water.
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节约并环保的净化水方式。
一个最开始只是八年级
科学年会的项目，
科学年会的项目，
05:57
What started off as an eighth grade
science fair project
science fair project
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06:00
is now my photocatalytic composite
for water purification.
for water purification.
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如今延伸为我的
净化水光催化剂合成物。
净化水光催化剂合成物。
这个合成物结合了二氧化钛和水泥。
06:05
The composite combines
titanium dioxide with cement.
titanium dioxide with cement.
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这个像水泥一样的合成物
能够形成许多不同形状，
能够形成许多不同形状，
06:09
The cement-like composite can be formed
into several different shapes,
into several different shapes,
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提供了一个多功能的使用方式。
06:13
which results in an extremely
versatile range of deployment methods.
versatile range of deployment methods.
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比如，你可以制作一个棒子，
06:18
For example, you could create a rod
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06:20
that can easily be placed
inside water bottles for individual use
inside water bottles for individual use
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能够简单放在个人的水瓶中，
或者你可以制作一个
多孔滤器，给家庭用水进行过滤。
多孔滤器，给家庭用水进行过滤。
06:24
or you could create a porous filter
that can filter water for families.
that can filter water for families.
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你甚至可以把它做成水箱内部的涂层，
06:29
You can even coat the inside
of an existing water tank
of an existing water tank
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06:33
to purify larger amounts of water
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从而净化大量的水，
06:35
for communities
over a longer period of time.
over a longer period of time.
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长时间供一整个社区的人使用。
想要完成这些，
06:39
Now, over the course of this,
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06:41
my journey hasn't really been easy.
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我的旅程并不简单。
06:44
You know, I didn't have access
to a sophisticated laboratory.
to a sophisticated laboratory.
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我没有高端实验室的资源。
06:47
I was 14 years old when I started,
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最开始的时候我只有 14 岁，
06:51
but I didn't let my age deter me
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但我并没有让年龄阻止我
追求科学研究，
06:53
in my interest
in pursuing scientific research
in pursuing scientific research
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06:56
and wanting to solve
the global water crisis.
the global water crisis.
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浇灭我解决世界水危机的热情。
水不仅仅是一个万能溶剂，
06:59
See, water isn't
just the universal solvent.
just the universal solvent.
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07:03
Water is a universal human right.
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也是普适的人权。
也正因此，
07:07
And for that reason,
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我从 2012 年开始研究
这个科学年会项目，
这个科学年会项目，
07:08
I'm continuing to work
on this science fair project from 2012
on this science fair project from 2012
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07:12
to bring it from the laboratory
into the real world.
into the real world.
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并把它从实验室带到了现实生活中。
这个夏天，我成立了“催化世界水”，
07:15
And this summer,
I founded Catalyst for World Water,
I founded Catalyst for World Water,
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07:19
a social enterprise aimed at catalyzing
solutions to the global water crisis.
solutions to the global water crisis.
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一个为了加快解决
世界水危机的社会型企业。
世界水危机的社会型企业。
（鼓掌）
07:25
(Applause)
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仅一滴水做不了什么，
07:32
Alone, a single drop of water
can't do much,
can't do much,
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07:36
but when many drops come together,
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但是当许多滴水聚集在一起，
07:38
they can sustain life on our planet.
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它们就能够维系我们星球上的生命。
就像水滴聚成了大海，
07:42
Just as water drops
come together to form oceans,
come together to form oceans,
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07:45
I believe that we all must come together
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我相信我们需要通力合作，
07:48
when tackling this global problem.
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来解决这个国际性的问题。
谢谢。
07:51
Thank you.
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07:52
(Applause)
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（鼓掌）
07:55
Thank you.
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谢谢。
07:57
(Applause)
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（鼓掌）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Deepika Kurup - Inventor, student scientistWater is the basis of life, and too many people around the world suffer from waterborne illnesses. Deepika Kurup is working to change that.
Why you should listen
Deepika Kurup is a scientist, speaker, social entrepreneur and student at Harvard University. She has been passionate about solving the global water crisis ever since she was in middle school. After witnessing children in India drinking dirty water, Kurup developed a water purification system that harnesses solar energy to remove contaminants from water.
Recognized as "America’s Top Young Scientist" in 2012, Kurup won the grand prize in the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. In 2014 she was honored with the "United States President's Environmental Youth Award" and represented the United States in Stockholm, Sweden at the international Stockholm Junior Water Prize. Most recently Kurup was named one of the Forbes' "30 Under 30: Energy" and was the National Geographic Explorer Award Winner in the 2015 Google Science Fair. She attended the 2016 (and 2013) White House Science Fair. Currently she is CEO and founder Catalyst for World Water, a social enterprise aimed at deploying the technology she developed in water-scarce areas.
Along with research, Kurup is passionate about STEM education, and she feels that STEM education has the power to revolutionize the world. In her free time, she enjoys giving talks and writing articles to encourage students all around the world to pursue science, technology, engineering and math, and to increase awareness of the global water crisis. She has been invited to speak at schools, international conferences and the United Nations.
Deepika Kurup | Speaker | TED.com