Water Purifying Systems

Needs Address

Provision of fresh water for domestic use- drinking and household use

Adaptation effects

• Enables convenient and increased access to purified water by those working and living on floating structures
• Improved sanitation and health

Overview and Features

A transportable, self-standing water filtration system that employs a quartz-sand composite, an activated charcoal composite, and three different filter types. These are attached to a steel frame, which is mounted onto a bicycle. The bicycle is itself incorporated into the filtration system. A valve-fitted pipe takes water from the river (or other water source) and feeds it up into the filter system. 

Energy source

Kinetically powered

Ease of maintenance

• Requires ongoing maintenance of equipment
• Cleaning of pump equipment and water storage containers should be regular

Technology performance

• The system can filter up to 300 litres of water per hour
• The systems is small and compact, meaning it can be transported and used on boats and in places with limited space
• Testing has been conducted in a range of different locations including on rivers, land and static water bodies to prove its ability to operate in these different contexts
• While the technical aspects have been developed to a sophisticated stage, the business and marketing aspects require development

Considerations

• Training on the use and maintenance of the system is necessary
• Training on the necessity of good sanitation and safe water use should accompany the introduction of this type of technology
• The water requires boiling before use due to the remaining micro-organism level of the filtered water – the filtered water meets all other requirements besides this

Co-benefit, suitability for developing countries

• Fewer water borne related problems due to the use of the water filtration system
• Community feedback throughout design and development has meant it has been developed according to their specific needs and lent some ownership to the community of users

Information Resources

BoP Asia, 2012. Innovation Story 1: Clean Water for Fishing Villages along the Red River. In BoP Asia, Pathways Out of Poverty: Innovating with the BoP in Southeast Asia. Ateneo School of Government, Phillipines. Available from: http://uniid-sea.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Pathways-Out-of-Poverty2012-by-iBoP-Asia.pdf [19 January 2015]