SAN FRANCISCO -- An overseas Chinese hi-tech firm in Silicon Valley in the US state of California is showcasing a breakthrough in water treatment technology that removes 99 percent of toxic substances from daily drinking water.

At the annual WQA Convention and Exposition held in Denver of Colorado, which runs from March 26 to 29, Mesofilter Inc presented its flagship product MesopaperTM, the first paper filter able to rapidly immobilize harmful pollutants such as arsenic, lead and other heavy metals, bacteria, viruses and radioactive elements in water and air.

Unlike other filtration processes, Mesopaper does not require pressure, chemicals, electrical potential, plastic or any additional equipment, the company said Wednesday.

It added that with more than 80 percent cost saving, its effectiveness and ease of use are superior to reverse osmosis, chemical treatment, and UV exposure -- the common processes used for filtering air and water.

Mesopaper has been certified to NSF/ANSI 53: Drinking Water Treatment Units -- Health Effects, the American National Standard for drinking water treatment units.

Mesopaper uses Mesofilter's patented MesoNoseTM technology, which mimics the human nose.

MesoNose is composed of ceramic granules made from natural clay containing millions of tiny, 40-50 nanometer (nm) size "noses" with billions of nano zero-valent iron needles, Zhen Cheng, associate professor of Radiology Department and director of Cancer Molecular Imaging Chemistry Laboratory of Stanford University, told Xinhua.

"The needles function like hooks to capture bacteria, inactivate viruses, and absorb heavy metals and radioactive elements," he explained.

Experts say the paper filter made from nanotechnology could trigger a revolution in the water industry.

"Radioactive contaminants in water threaten hundreds of millions of lives every day, especially in developing countries," said Boris Faybishenko, staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

"Whether it's for a rural home's drinking water, or for a community water treatment plan, Mesopaper makes clean and safe drinking water accessible to everyone," he said.

A World Health Organization report indicated that arsenic poisoning alone affects 200 million people worldwide, and 170 million people are drinking water containing cancer-causing, radioactive elements.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that arsenic, lead and mercury are the three most hazardous threats to human health, and the consumption of these materials often comes from contaminated water.

The 2018 WQA Convention and Exposition was sponsored by the US Water Quality Association, which has been a signature event of the water treatment industry in the country.

In 2017, 56 countries were represented among the 3,500 attendees of the WQA Convention and Exposition in Orlando of Florida state of the United States.