Project Lead(s): Bright Kwakye-Awuah
Issue
The lack of clean drinking water and sanitation systems are severe public health concerns in sub-Saharan Africa. Households without access to clean water are forced to use less reliable and less hygienic sources and often pay more for non-potable water.
Solution
The key aim of this project was to produce a ceramic silver-zeolite-impregnated filter for drinking water treatment.
Zeolites are known adsorbents used in water treatment. They are crystalline hydrated aluminosilicates whose framework structure consists of cavities or pores that could be occupied by cations or water molecules.
Silver-loaded zeolites can act as an inorganic reservoir and release silver ions in a controlled way. Silver has been shown to be an effective anti-microbial agent, due to its ability to affect many different functions of microbial cells.
In the project, low-cost ceramic silver-zeolite water filters were produced from low-grade bauxite and kaolin as major source materials. Their efficiency in removing heavy metal ions, particulate matter and microorganisms was tested in laboratory and field tests.
Outcome
Results showed that it was possible to develop low-cost, ceramic silver-zeolite water filters.
Their efficiency in removing heavy metal ions, particulate matter and microorganisms was tested in the laboratory and field, and the filter produced drinking water that complied with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended guideline of 0 cfu/ml.
Additionally, 60 of the produced ceramic silver-zeolite water filters (CS-ZWF) were distributed free of charge to 120 homes in the Vui community, a suburb of Keta District in the Volta Region of Ghana.
The Vui community is noted for pollution of almost all well water; the number of cases of water-borne diseases reported in October 2013 was 102.
After one month of using the silver-zeolite water filters, the number of water-related diseases had been reduced to 22. The number of cases further reduced to 7 after three months and no cases were reported at the end of the six-month trial.
A report on this project has been published in International Journal of Science and Research and the International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research.
The project team has applied for scale-up funding to commercialize the venture.