title: Virus removal efficiency of Cambodian ceramic pot water purifiers.
abstract: Virus removal efficiency is described for three types of silver-impregnated, ceramic water filters (CWFs) produced in Cambodia. The tests were completed using freshly scrubbed filters and de-ionized (DI) water as an evaluation of the removal efficiency of the virus in isolation with no other interacting water quality variables. Removal efficiencies between 0.21 and 0.45 log are evidenced, which is significantly lower than results obtained in testing of similar filters by other investigators utilizing surface or rain water and a less frequent cleaning regime. Other experiments generally found virus removal efficiencies greater than 1.0 log. This difference may be because of the association of viruses with suspended solids, and subsequent removal of these solids during filtration. Variability in virus removal efficiencies between pots of the same manufacturer, and observed flow rates outside the manufacturer's specifications, suggest tighter quality control and consistency may be needed during production.
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1. hsalsali@uoguelph.ca
authors.forename: Hamidreza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Salsali
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McBean
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brunsting
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D002160:Cambodia; D002516:Ceramics / Q000737:chemistry*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010316:Particle Size; D012834:Silver; D014780:Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014871:Water Microbiology; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D012834:Silver