Effect of production variables on microbiological removal in locally-produced ceramic filters for household water treatment.
Diarrhoeal diseases cause an estimated 1.87 million child deaths per year. Point-of-use filtration using locally made ceramic filters improves microbiological quality of stored drinking water and prevents diarrhoeal disease. Scaling-up ceramic filtration is inhibited by lack of universal quality control standards. We investigated filter production variables to determine their affect on microbiological removal during 5-6 weeks of simulated normal use. Decreases in the clay:sawdust ratio and changes in the burnable decreased effectiveness of the filter. Method of silver application and shape of filter did not impact filter effectiveness. A maximum flow rate of 1.7 l(-hr) was established as a potential quality control measure for one particular filter to ensure 99% (2- log(10)) removal of total coliforms. Further research is indicated to determine additional production variables associated with filter effectiveness and develop standardized filter production procedures prior to scaling-up.
Lantagne
Daniele
D
Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. dlantagne@cdc.gov
Klarman
Molly
M
Mayer
Ally
A
Preston
Kelsey
K
Napotnik
Julie
J
Jellison
Kristen
K
D002516:Ceramics / Q000592:standards*; D004867:Equipment Design; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000032:analysis* / Q000382:microbiology; D006794:Household Articles / Q000592:standards*; D011786:Quality Control; D014871:Water Microbiology / Q000592:standards; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards