Access to quality water for drinking purpose is still a challenge for rural population in rural area in developing economies. Water filter design at low cost could help for improving the water quality and to stop water borne diseases.
Here are a few links that might provide some practical ideas and solution for meeting this goal.
https://sciencing.com/filter-water-clay-pots-6975650.html
https://unreasonable.is/how-simple-clay-pots-provide-clean-water-for-thousands-of-ugandans/
Best Regards
Steve
You might contact Water Mission in Charleston, SC, USA, unsure of the extent of their influence to your area, but a Christian water and sanitation mission to welcoming countries, communities. This is a long term solution, and also based on their ability to respond as primarily voluntary, charitable organization.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Missions_International
Water contamination can come in various forms, so clay pots or ceramic water filters like hikers use may not be enough, but certainly helpful. I will try to add publication on drinking water from forests and grasslands when I get to computer files.
Dear Celestin Defo , there are two main approaches,
1). centralized (small scale) community water supply system (so basically small scale treatment treatment plant with supply network or outposts).
2). the other one is individual (household type treatment).
If you could share more information about your case and objectives, we can discuss possible options further.
Amila
It is not an easy exercise but you ought design a material that has high permeability and adsorption/filtration capacity. "The user friendliness is a driving factor in most scenarios. In addition to that, It is however, dependent on a number of other factors such as the pollutants you are targeting, effectiveness of your material, easy engineering and maintenance, and safety.
But you may consider using locally available materials that does not require sophisticated processes to use or replenish them. I have encountered challenges with clays and modified clays due to poor permeability, high swelling capacity, leaching of exchangeable cations and metals we use to enhance their performances amongst others. This further poses health problems to end-users hence probing the need for public health concerns.
I agree with Hansen answer,,,,,Water contamination can come in various forms, so clay pots or ceramic water filters like hikers use may not be enough, but certainly helpful. I will try to add publication on drinking water from forests and grasslands when I get to computer files.
Publication on drinking water from forests and grasslands mentioned in first response, published by US Forest Service. It discusses many of the effects of land uses that may be found in surface source watersheds, as well as some effects found from wildlife, etc. This document is to help describe some of the complexities associated with drinking water systems. Relatively undisturbed forests and grasslands are a good choice if potable springs or confined groundwater aquifers are not available. There are various water treatment systems also available commercially, but would not necessarily meet your low cost criteria. In many instances, groundwater sources may be less apt to have abrupt changes in quality that is sometimes experienced with surface sources, but drilling wells can be costly. Whatever the source, some degree of water testing is helpful and as we learned at the Water Mission in Charleston, SC, some remote communities need various degrees of sanitary training and awareness, and they use various methods to improve knowledge of sanitary issues and also make sure that someone at local level is trained and responsible to check and maintain equipment. Truly you have brought up a very important international health and mortality issue.
Further to Amila Abeynayaka I found a paper you might find useful: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8893403_Cost-effective_treatment_solutions_for_rural_areas_Design_and_operation_of_a_new_package_treatment_plant_for_single_households
You may also want to check out following innovation by a Malaysian inventor: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/12/07/how-a-spray-bottle-started-it-all-eureka-moment-while-ironing-leads-housewife-to-invent-water-filter/
I have not been able to test is but the idea and solution appears ingenious. In order to create the pressure to force the water through a filter they deployed a bicycle pump which is available everywhere, cheap and used in rural communities.
In order to ensure that filtrate has minimal microbial regrowth (for at least a day) solar disinfection (SODIS) may be used.
Check out:
https://www.cdc.gov/safewater/solardisinfection.html
https://www.sodis.ch/index_EN
Hello,
If you need to develop a house hold type filter, you can use clay pots which include activated carbon filled with ceramic layers. Activated carbon is a form of carbon which has number of pores. When it is used to treat a water, the pollutant molecules (pesticides, heavy metals, some toxins and dissolve pollutants, etc.) are trapped inside these pores. Also its improving the taste and the smell of the treated water. Ceramic layer which has a lot of small pores on it. As raw water runs through the layer, anything larger than the pore size is kept outside and ceramic filters are sometimes treated with silver this may effective for removing of microbes in the raw water.
Yohan Mahagamage
There are many household level filtration and water treatment options currently available in developing countries. There is little need to develop something new. The challenge is to make such a system affordable, establish reliable distribution networks, and ensure that consumables and maintenance are available. All of these aspects must be addressed to ensure a system is sustainable. Some of the most common household treatment systems are summarized in the attached document. The Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST) is a great source of additional information on such systems (https://www.cawst.org/services/resources?s=all&gf=all).
Like any treatment system, these only work if they are used properly and regularly, and the treated water is stored properly so it is not recontaminated. Training is a critical part of successful deployment of any such system.
Community level systems are much more challenging to build, maintain, and operate properly. In most of our designs for East Africa we rely on household level treatment for drinking water rather than centralized treatment due to the difficulty in obtaining needed equipment and supplies, unreliable electrical power, lack of well trained personnel to operate the system, and the high cost of operation and maintenance. CAWST has information on one type of sustainable, simple treatment system for schools or small communities (slow sand filter) that might be worth investigating (https://resources.cawst.org/manual/2a86b2de/intermittently-operated-slow-sand-filtration-issf-manual).
Dear Celestin Defo,
Selection of surface water sources (river, stream, lake, pond, spring) and ground water sources and necessary treatment either urban or rural water supply, the designer should consider the number of population, norms, quantity of water at source or water flow, composition of water or water quality, level of pollution, seasonal variation, surrounding environment, possibility of pollutants entry, health risk, cost, O & M, materials and skill human resources availability and many more other factors depending upon the climatic setting and geographic location.
Water treatment could be done at community level or at house hold level, centralized or decentralized. Sedimentation, filtration followed by disinfection are the major treatment processes for surface water treatment plant (WTP) design. Intake, collection chamber, transmission line, washout valves, air release valves, water treatment plant, reservoir, distribution systems and taps are the components of Water Treatment Plant. If river or stream source water will be used for rural water supply, then sedimentation, filtration and disinfection processes are required. In case of filtration roughing filter, slow sand or rapid sand filter, pressure filters are used due to high sedimentation load, turbidity and possibility of bacterial contamination. For this gravel packing stream intake is more suitable and roughing filter followed by slow sand filter might be right solution in few cases. These are the low cost or cost-effective WTP for community based centralized rural water supply scheme.
At house hold level for 5-6 persons sized family mini filter with 10 liters volume, two ceramic candles, aqua guard, and other modern devices could be used. They may use sedimentation, filtration and disinfection even on their roof top using 500 liter capacity HDPE drums with necessary fittings.
Regards,
Dr. Chet
Most of the places the contaminant to be removed from drinking water source decides the treatment method and as a result lost cost technique based on the method could be thought of
i suggest you use nano technology its material is cheap but you have some problem such as time that you need to treat water sample.
I agree with Salimi answer, I think that use nanotechnology its consider a cheap material but you have some problem such as time that you need to treat water sample.
Design should be location specific and subjected to the field condition of the local contaminants. Anyway, the primary pollutants that can be removed through a filter is TSS, TDS, and COD. If the same purpose needed to be served then a pressure filter will perform well for the rural population.
Did you consider slow sand filters?
They are a, well know, low technology solution that has been used for years. Main disadvantage is the amount land it needs....
I kindly convey to all satisfaction to diverse responses you provided to address this issue. Thanks many for your participation.
Interesting contributions by respected colleagues on this discussion
i suggest you to use nano particles but you must find some one which can treat water in faster way.
Dear Celestin Defo
from the answers received did you manage to design a water filter for rural population? If yes which design did you opt for and why? Was the Water Mission in Charleston, SC, USA able to provide assistance?
All the best, Rob.
Dear Robert Thomas, I opt for slow Sand filter because it seems cheap in using local materials. I haven't yet start. Water Mission in Charleston, SC, USA has not assist I should contact them.Their support will be really important owing their experience. The need is high here.
I do not think I added this to discussion as promised, so here is publication on Drinking Water from Forests and Grasslands. Even the best sources can have issues at times, suggesting that both knowing your watershed and activities as well as some degree of disinfection or treatment are helpful and most reliable. Research suggests that in general, the cleaner the water source, the easier it is to treat. Not all pollutants are the same, and as an example, the milky water from glaciers for example is supposed to be quite healthy for the local people due to longevity studies. It is likely that some have or are able through time to adapt to conditions that would make others sick.
you can use natural nano particles but you need some material to use it as catalyst.
Many thanks to Pr William F. Hansen for the valuable contribution and the publication uploaded. I agree with you along the line about your clarifications since the beginning of this discussion, gratefully. salutation...
Very fantastic as well as the most relevant discussions, thanks all for their contribution.
Thanks Prof @Phani Bhusan Ghosh. I now need concrete help to conduct a project to produce prototype of appropriate filter.
Dear Celestin Defo,
It can be understood that water composition/ water quality (physical, chemical and bacteriological, micro-biological) has been changed due to external/natural (geographic location, slope, watershed/ catchment/ river basin, water flow, velocity, length traveled, vegetation, climatic condition, seasonal variation, geology/surface contact areas etc.) and man made or anthropogenic factors (human settlements, their industrial, agricultural and other activities, possible sources of pollution etc.) and internal factors (mineral concentration and gradient, red-ox potential, temperature, atmospheric pressure, mixing etc.).
For the selection of an appropriate water treatment plant (WTP) or technology and their components/configuration following aspects have to be considered:
- Sources of water (surface or ground),
- If surface sources catchment, surrounding environmental condition and possible sources of pollution,
- Quantity of water or flow, seasonal variation,
- Number of designed rural population to be served,
- Selection of simple, compacted, socially acceptable, economic viable or cost-effective, power saving, low O & M, reliable, environment friendly, sustainable WTP,
- Without any source water dispute,
- Have to consider an integrated or holistic approach as for example sanitary zone identification and demarcation, water security, proper flood water drainage facility,
upstream minimum human activities for minimization of possible pollution load
- Depending upon the composition or water quality either surface or ground water sources I suggest you to select the full phases of water treatment or purification or processing to prevent any harmful for human health either for urban or rural population from excess amount of physical, chemical or bacteriological components/ parameters of inorganic, organic and microbial natures. So, I recommend you to select the following WTP including Filter depending upon type of sources and possible contaminants:
Spring Sources:
1) Proper Gravel Packing Intake,
2) Sedimentation followed by Slow Sand (quartz, anthracite etc.) Filtration and Disinfection,
Sream/ River Sources:
1) Boulder Packing Intake,
2) Horizontal Flow Roughing Filter,
3) Sedimentation followed by Slow Sand/ Rapid Sand Filter with the provision of Activated Carbon or Charcoal and Disinfection,
Ground Water Sources:
1) Aeration, Sedimentation followed by Rapid/ Pressure Filtration with zeolite or green sand.
Instead of large scale production, development of design for domestic use could be highly needed and if the surface source of water with no significant amount of TDS is used, then only two pollutants are to be removed, one is TSS and another is pathogens. TSS can be effectively removed by using slow sand filter and pathogenic bacteria can be removed by passing water through activated charcoal followed by sun light irradiation.
past with sand, and rocks, today ion exchange is the cheaper and regeneration
New and pertinent contributions Prof Faris T. Abachi with Thanks to Sh. @Chet Bahadur Pariyar
I am equally interested in the prototype, for water treatment in rural areas. Following the comments
- Badges
- Science topic