left: The white storage tank slides into the steel frame to protect the main mechanism during shipping. Here it is positioned to purify water. | right: In Indonesia, Aquacubes purify water drawn directly from local rivers. Both photographs Süd-Chemie

First developed by the German company Süd-Chemie for use in undeveloped areas of Africa, the Aquacube is a miniature water-purifying plant that packs for transport into a steel frame slightly larger than 35 cubic feet (one cubic m). With its own integral generator it can purify approximately 400 gallons (1,500 L) of water per hour.

After the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, a Süd-Chemie team drove through Indonesia with an Aquacube mounted in the back of a truck. In the months following the disaster, several Aquacubes remained in Indonesia as interim replacements for municipal water systems. The company also donated a system for use in the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to provide safe drinking water to temporary health-care facilities and emergency shelters.