Water Purification

Design Solution

Harpreet Singh – P 15245438

Mohamed Omar – P14157932

Salim Chaudhury – P15240106

Omkar Shivhare – P13202702

Date – 24th March 2017

Contents page
Executive summary……………………………………………………………………………………………

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Alternative Design solution options……………………………………………………………………

Final Design Choice……………………………………………………………………………………………

Specifications of the Hybrid Water Filtration System…………………………………………

Mechanism of HWFS…………………………………………………………………………………………

Maintenance of the HWFS…………………………………………………………………………………

Social, Environmental, Economic and Cultural context………………………………………

Long term Sustainability…………………………………………………………………………………….

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

References………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
Executive summary
The report contains a design solution for a water purification system that will be used at a
household level. A few alternative options are reviewed and the advantages and
disadvantages are highlighted for each one. The final design solution will then be reviewed in
greater detail and its benefits to the people of Lobitos will be discussed. The three alternative
options selected are the ultraviolet system, ceramic candle filter and the hybrid water
filtration system. The selected and the most suitable design solution is the hybrid water
filtration system. The suitability of the final design solution to the communities of Lobitos is
discussed in more detail considering the design, construction and operation of the system.

The hybrid water filtration system consists of 4 buckets filled with special selected and
prepared materials. The impure water fed into the upper compartment filters through the
multiple different layers of materials. During the filtration process, the removal of harmful
bacteria, chemical content and arsenic takes place. The process also removes pathogens,
turbidity, smell and colour from the water and the pH of the water is increased. The system
is simple to use and can be produced locally anywhere in the world because it is built using
materials that are readily available. The capital costs depend on the local material and labour
costs in Lobitos. The hybrid water filtration system is a one-time installation with few
maintenance requirements and if maintained correctly it can have a long life. The selected
solution will remove harmful bacteria and will evidently improve the quality of the water
supplied in Lobitos.

Introduction
In Lobitos water is a scarce resource due to the desert climate and increasing demands on
the water source. Water quality is also an issue due to contamination. Water is an essential
resource and people need to consume between one to 3 litres a day to stay healthy. Water
is also needed for agriculture, industry and domestic use. Effective water treatment is
required to free drinking water from hazardous contaminants. The water supply in Lobitos is
very unreliable and the infrastructure is old. Water is piped into Lobitos to meet the
demands of 1600 citizens and local industrial and economic needs. The water is pumped
and piped to Lobitos from Rio Chira a river approximately 170km away via Talara the
nearest local town. Water testing kits have highlighted the presence of harmful bacteria in
the water and this the cause of most common illnesses to reduce poor water quality most
people boil water before drinking a few households have small household filter. Everyone in
Lobitos has a way of storing water, the main way is to store water in water tanks that range
from 1000litres to 5,000litres for those the can afford the reasonably priced tanks. The
people that can’t afford water tanks store water in bucket’s or barrels. In this report, we
will highlight the main water purification systems available and discuss in more detail the
chosen solution.
Alternative Design solution options

Ceramic candle filter

The ceramic candle filter technique used in the filtration of drinking water is one of the
oldest water treatments. The filter consists of two containers fitted one above the other.
Fixed in the centre of the upper container is a ceramic candle. The water to be purified is
poured into the upper compartment. The ceramic candle acts like a filter and removes fine
impurities. The pure water collects in the lower compartment after being filtered.

Advantages of the Ceramic candle filter Disadvantages of the Ceramic candle filter

 Cheap and easy to use and clean
 Removes pathogens, turbidity and
suspended solids
 Effective in the removal of viruses
and iron
 Improves smell, taste and colour of
the water
 Can be constructed with locally
available materials
 Keeps water safe and cold
 Easy to move, durable and easy to
transport
 Does not remove chemical
contaminants
 All the pathogens are not removed
 Highly turbid
 It has a low flow rate
 The quality control is difficult to
ensure in local production
 Ceramic candles are not easy to
transport due to fragility and heavy
weight

Containers
Ultraviolet system

The bactericidal effect of concentrated ultraviolet light is used in many areas and in many
set-ups. Simply available ultraviolet tubes can be used for water treatment. The ultraviolet
tubes can be used to kill pathogenic microorganism in the drinking water. The ultraviolet
system is an effective low cost and mean for a very rapid disinfection. The system consists of
a pipe through which water slowly flows and in which an ultraviolet bulb is installed that can
be run on electric or solar power. The ultraviolet system can be used at a household or
community level. The bulb located within the tube emits ultraviolet light that inactivates the
microorganisms.

Advantages of the ultraviolet system Disadvantages of the ultraviolet system

 Minimum behaviour change
required
 Large quantities of pure and
disinfected water can be obtained
quickly
 It can be constructed with locally
available material
 No transport, storage or handling of
chemicals is required
 No unpleasant taste or smell
 Highly effective on a range of
pathogens, E. Coli, guardia and
cryptosporidium
 No risk of DBP formation such as
trihalomenthanes
 Inactivation independent of
temperature and pH
 Only effective for microbial
pollution
 No residual disinfection effect and
risk of re-growth or
recontamination
 Investment for installation is
required
 The lamp tube needs to be replaced
every 6-12 months
 Requires a regular power source for
operation
 Because of the mercury content of
the ultraviolet lamp it needs to be
cleaned regularly and handles with
care
 When compared with the chlorine
solution it has higher cost of
equipment
 Hybrid water filtration system

The hybrid water filtration system is a simple household water treatment system that is an
innovation on traditional slow sand filters specially designed for intermittent use. The
system consists of 4 buckets filled with special selected and prepared materials. The impure
water fed into the upper compartment filters through the multiple different layers of
materials. During the filtration process, the removal of harmful bacteria, chemical content
and arsenic takes place. The process also removes pathogens, turbidity, smell and colour
from the water and the pH of the water is increased.

Advantages of the hybrid Disadvantages of the hybrid

water filtration system water filtration system
Impure water
 High removal of  Requires that the
pathogens filter can be used on
 Removes particle a regular basis
impurities, turbidity,  Biological layer takes
colour and smell 20 to 30 days to
 Removes harmful develop to maturity
Fine marine quartz
bacteria, chemical  High turbidity will
sand layer
content and arsenic cause the filter to
4 buckets  High flow rates can be clog and require
achieved maintenance
 Long life and increases  Low rate of virus
the pH of the water inactivation
powdered activated  One-time installation  The system cannot
carbon and a 4-layer with few maintenance remove dissolved
gravel requirements and low compounds
operation costs
 The system is easy to
operate and maintain
 The system can be
Limestone chalk, fabricated from locally
cotton and brick available materials
Tap
layer
Final Design Choice

Having considered all possible design options, this final design was chosen to be implemented. This
Hybrid Water Filtration System (HWFS) implements features from a variety of filtration methods
commonly used, such as slow sand filtration, powdered activated carbon filtration, and a limestone
layer. The system is gravity fed and works on basic yet proven methods of filtration.

The slow sand filtration is a method widely used around the world in cities to provide adequate
drinking quality water. World Health Organization (WHO) defines water as ‘safe’ when it can be
ingested by the consumer over prolonged periods without causing harm. Parasites and pathogens
must be reduced or inactivated to the point where they do not harm the consumer.

The majority of the filtration happens in the first layer, the fine quartz sand layer, owing to several
biological and chemical reactions.

Below the sand layer, there is a layer of powdered activated carbon (PAC) laid on top of a 4-layer
gravel bed. Below this, there is a bed of limestone chunks laid on top of bricks.

Specifications of the Hybrid Water Filtration System

The idea and the theory behind the HWFS is based on the slow sand filtration systems and its design
requirements recommended by the WHO. In order to make this system compatible with the
requirements in Lobitos, the design features were scaled down, simplified, modified and thus made
suitable for this project.
A modular design was adopted to implement this design, due to its simplicity and ease during
installation and maintenance purposes.

The Hybrid Water Filtration System is made up of the following sections –

 Bucket 1 is the water reservoir, of a volume of 30L

 Bucket 2 contains the fine marine quartz sand. The quartz sand particles’ diameters range
from 0.1mm to 0.3mm. The base of this bucket is perforated with circular holes no larger
than 10mm in diameter. A 50mm thick layer of cotton is laid on the perforated base. This
bucket is now filled with the quartz sand up to 2 inches below the top.
 Bucket 3 is also first perforated in the base with circular holes no larger than 10mm. A 50mm
thick layer of cotton is laid on the perforated base. The lower 35cm of the bucket is filled
with 4 layers of gravel. The lowest, or the 4th layer gravel has diameters 18mm – 40mm. The
3rd layer gravel has diameters 6mm – 12mm. The 2nd layer of gravel has diameters 2mm –
4mm. The top layer of the gravel has diameters 0.7 – 1.4mm. Layer 3 and 4 have a combined
thickness of 20cm. Layers 1 and 2 have a combined depth of 15cm. Above the 4-layer gravel
bed, is laid another 50mm layer of cotton, and above this, 10cm thick layer of PAC.
 Bucket 4 is the lowest container of the 4. On the outside of this bucket, one inch from the
bottom, a hole is cut and a tap is fitted to control the outflow. A base layer of 4-5 bricks,
prewashed and cleaned, are laid inside the bucket. Above this brick layer is placed a layer of
cotton 50mm thick. Above this is a layer of broken down limestone chunks up to 2 inches
from the top of the bucket.

Figure 1 Comparison of Fine Sand on a 1cm grid

The HWFS is designed in a modular fashion, enabling the consumer to individually remove each
bucket for any reason desired. Each of the buckets has a volume of 40L, a base diameter of
30cm, and a height of 50cm.

Construction tips-

 Bucket 4 is the bottom bucket, and Bucket 1 is the top bucket.

 Buckets of given dimensions are easily available at local hardware or paint stores.
Recycled buckets of fitting dimensions can also be used.
 Buckets 2 and 3 – there is approximately 1-inch distance between holes in the base.
  The bricks and limestone chunks in bucket 4 are thoroughly scrubbed and washed
before installing them into the system.
 PAC is formed by crushing charcoal, and straining it through an 80-mesh sieve. The
particles then, have a diameter of 0.177mm of less.
 Layers of cotton are placed in the above mentioned buckets to prevent particles of any
material from seeping through to the underlying sections.

Mechanism of HWFS

The HWFS has been designed with the assumption that water for a household is brought into the
house mostly in buckets. Raw water is fed manually into the top bucket. Water from a tap source
can also be easily piped into Bucket 1. Water then passes through the multiple layers of materials for
filtration, and in the process reducing and removing its turbidity, odour, taste, colour, chemical
content, arsenic (certain amount, to acceptable potable quality) and harmful bacteria/protozoa.

During the process, the particulate impurities are trapped in the first layer, i.e. quartz sand. Given
the diameter of the sand used, 0.1mm- 0.3mm, majority of the particulate impurities are trapped in
the gaps due to the porous nature of the sand bed.

At the top of the sand layer is eventually formed a biological skin called schmutzdecke. This layer
contributes in the removal of fine colloidal particles in the raw water, and doubles up as an initial
zone of biological activity, providing degradation of soluble organics, in turn reducing taste odour
and colour. The crystalline structure of quartz sand has a negative charge, and can attract the
positively charged particles of colloidal matter. Over time, this accumulation of positively-charged
ions aids in the attraction of negatively charged impurities. This includes colloidal matter of animal
or vegetable origin, and anions such as nitrate and phosphate radicals. The sub-processes in the
schmutzdecke are self-sustaining until the sand layer is replaced or diffused.

The next layer, made up of Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC) is very effective at removing chlorine
and volatile organic compounds. It also removes taste and odour from water. PAC also largely
removes turbidity from the raw water. The particle size that can be removed by PAC varies from 0.5
to 50 micrometres (1micrometre = 10-3 mm). Activated carbon is used for the removal of pesticides
and other organic chemicals, taste and odour compounds.

Below the layer of PAC is a layer of cotton, and below that is a 4-layer gravel bed. The cotton acts as
a filter bed to prevent PAC particles from seeping into the lower layers. The gravel bed helps in
preventing filtering media from entering and choking the water drainage.

In bucket 4, limestone chunks are introduced. Limestone is made up of Calcium Carbonate, which is
an alkaline agent with the ability to neutralize, or partially neutralize strong acids. This process raises
the pH of the water. Limestone chunks are crushed to have an average diameter between 6mm to
12mm. Crushing it to this magnitude increases the surface area for contact with water. A by-product
of this process is the precipitation of salts that deposit on the limestone chunks. Due to this, the
limestone chunks must be physically scrubbed and cleaned to remove the slimy deposits. This
limestone can now be reused in the filtration process. Since the rate of precipitation of salts is
dependent on the acidity of water, there is no fixed time-period to perform maintenance on the
limestone. Due to this, the limestone bed must be manually inspected every 2 months for slimy
deposits.

Thickness of particles (of all materials used above) is directly proportional to the desired effluent
quality of water. As filtration progresses, the sand bed begins to reduce pore-space. This will result
in increased resistance, reduced flow rate of water, and better filtration overall.

Maintenance of the HWFS

The HWFS is a relatively low-maintenance system. The modular construction of the system enables
the consumer to individually perform maintenance on only the section required.

 The limestone chunks in bucket 4 must be manually inspected every two months for slimy
deposits on the chunks. Presence of slimy deposits indicates that the chunks have to be
removed from the container, scrubbed and washed to eliminate the slimy salt deposits. At
the same time, the cotton layer in this bucket must also be replaced.
 Bucket 2 containing the fine quartz sand must be inspected every 6 months. The sand must
be stirred thoroughly inside the bucket itself.
 The PAC inside bucket 3 must also be replaced with new PAC every 6 months, as must the
layer of cotton below it.

Social, Environmental, Economic and Cultural Context

The maximum volume of water contained in the HWFS is approximately 120L. In Lobitos, some
households cannot afford to pay for this quantity of water, whilst others can. For households that
cannot afford to pay for this amount of water, it is recommended that 3 or 4 households invest for
installation of a single filtration system.
 Producing clean water without much adjustment and change to the local’s lifestyle and daily
routines
 Very low maintenance
 Design integrated into modern wells and water collection sites. Therefore, no area is required
for the chosen method.
 No pollutants are discharged and no by-products are left behind
 Low set up cost and no running cost

Long term Sustainability

 This method will approximately last a lifetime. A few parts are required to be cleaned and
replaced
  The modular nature of the filtration system enables for simple replacement and maintenance
 The materials can be obtained provincially and furthermore be imported from nearby cities
 The simple external construction of this method signifies no minute components to fracture
and break

Conclusion
The Hybrid Water Filtration System is so named because it includes features from different methods
used to purify water. It is simple yet highly effective in providing potable quality water to the people
of Lobitos. The materials used in installing the system were chosen due to easy availability in local
stores. The principles applied in the HWFS are fundamental and basic. Consumers can apply the same
principles to install a system of different size. Installation and maintenance of the system can be
undertaken by unskilled labourers.

The quality of water in Lobitos is quite low. This system brings the effluent quality of water up to
acceptable standards. It has minimal to none negative impact on the environment. Considering all the
above mentioned points, the HWFS was theorized.

References

 http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/ssf9241540370.pdf
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