The Development and Deployment in Developing Countries of Manifolded, Three-Stage Water Filtration Systems with

Heavy Metals Removal

Harry Knopke and Bob McDonald of Aqua Clara International

• ACI Focus: Generating Clean Water from Contaminated Sources

• Such Sources Presently Have an Impact on 2-3 Billion People

Stage One: Business Model

• Clients: the poor of developing countries

• Product: clean water generated

• Technology: consistent with good physics resulting in:– Clean water by UN standards– Tech transfer to local people– Cost effective: <$0.001 per liter

The first product was a re-designed biosand filter

• This kind of filter had been the technology of choice in developing countries

• Research conducted in the Zeeland Water Treatment facility

• Innovations included:

• Use of locally sourced plastic components

• “ACX” a brass-based biocide

• Using reactors as the basis for small businesses

• Now over 12,000 in use world-wide

Stage Two: development of water purifiers for families

• Bio-reactor + sand filtration

• Output water: meets UN standards

• Applications: early on, 1,000 first year, 2,000 second year

• Applications today: approaching 20,000– All made locally and functioning effectively as

predicted

Filters as business in Kenya

Stage Three: development of water purifiers for groups of

people

• Manifolded three stage filtration

• Output water: meets US standards

• Applications: installed capacity > 2 million liters per day

Newest Products are based on hollow membrane technology

Units have been installed and are functioning in 11 countries

Arsenic/fluoride/heavy metals remediation is accomplished in tandem with bacterial removal—a unique approach

Field Studies, Installations

Nicaragua India

Fereterias

El Porvenir Office in La Carona

Filter recipient

INFORME GENERAL DEL PROYECTO PRESENTADO POR:

Gema Daday Rivas ÁlvarezEddysson Jamir Flores PérezJavier Ramírez Meza

Managua-NicaraguaAbril, 2013

Tabla 9. Resultados promedios de los análisis a nivel básico para agua de pozo “La Corona”

tratada por el ST.Nivel de

vigilanciaParámetro Unidades

Magnitud promedio en

PRM-1

Magnitud promedio en

PRM-3

Eficiencia de remoción (%)

Nivel básico

Turbiedad NTU 0.91 0.45 51.10pH Unidades 7.59 8.11 -6.85

Coliformes totales (FME)

UFC/100 mL <1 <1 N/A

Coliformes termotolerantes (FME)

UFC/100 mL <1 < 1 N/A

Coliformes totales (PPEC)

UFC/100 mL <1 < 1 N/A

Coliformes termotolerantes

(PPEC)UFC/100 mL <1 < 1 N/A

Coliformes totales (FME+ PPEC)

UFC/100 mL <1 < 1 N/A

Coliformes termotolerantes (FME+

PPEC)UFC/100 mL <1 < 1 N/A

Temperatura (de cuarto)

ºC 22.22 28 N/A

Conductividad eléctrica

µS/cm 499 502 -0.60

Sólidos totales disueltos (ME)

mg/L STD 244.34 246 -0.68

 

Tabla 12. Resultados promedios de los análisis a nivel avanzado para agua de pozo “La Corona”

tratada por ST.Nivel de vigilancia

ParámetroUnidad

es

Magnitud promedio en

PRM-1

Magnitud promedio en

PRM-3

Eficiencia de remoción

(%)

Nivel avanzado

Arsénico (Wagtech Arsenator® Digital )

μg/L As44.34 0 99.90

Arsénico (Quick™ ARSENIC TEST)

40-60 0—5 87.50-99.90

Assam, India Project

Guwahati Morning

Do-it-all Helper

Nalbari

Digheli L P School

Standard Filter House

• 5th Status Report of Global Grant Project , No 25607, dated 24th May , 2013• Rtn Rajkamal Bhuyan, contact person of the Global Grant no 25607 of R C Gauhati

South is pleased to inform you that the Report for Arsenic Testing has been received from PHE , Belsor Laboratory and it gives me tremendous satisfaction to inform the members of our club as well as Dr Arvind Phukan & Dr Harry Knopke that the Water Quality obtained after the filtration process and removal of arsenic contamination in the 3 ( three ) schools is devoid of arsenic contamination, as evident from the table enumerated below for ease of comparison.

• Parameters Before Fltr. After Fltr. Permissible Limit

• Kordoitola LP School• Arsenic (mg/l) 0.1318 0.0010 0.05

• Digheli L P School • Arsenic (mg/l) 0.1360 0.0035 0.05

• Barchenekuchi L P School• Arsenic (mg/l) 0.0931 0.0020 0.05

Good Physics made possible by our relationship with MSU

• MSU Bio-E: lab facilities, support for ACI programs

• MSU: Dr. Ted Loudon, Professor Emeritus, member of ACI team,

ACI board member

• John Judge, MSU; defines arsenic remediation performances

• ACI staff and volunteers (here and in-country)