Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Development and performance evaluation of a portable household ceramic water filter with activated carbon and magnetic treatment unit

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study reports the development and performance evaluation of a portable household ceramic water filter with activated carbon and magnetic treatment unit. Three levels of percentage composition of clay sawdust 60–40, 50–50 and 40–60% by volume were used. Potable water is rarely available in most rural areas of Nigeria, and drinking contaminated water could cause waterborne and water-related diseases. The ceramic filter was constructed using kaolinite-clay and sawdust, heated inside a kiln at 750–800 °C to burnout the sawdust, create micropores in the ceramic and produced hard ceramic filter cup. The activated carbon was produced from coconut shell and burnt at 750–800 °C. The ceramic, activated carbon and hose surrounded by neodymium magnet were put in each separate 12-l bucket, and the 3 buckets were placed over each other. Water was poured into the filter, and water discharge from the filter was determined. Water samples were analysed for performance evaluation of the filter. The mean water discharge of the filter with 60–40, 50–50 and 40–60% clay-sawdust were 0.365, 0.428 and 0.463 l/h, respectively. The turbidity of raw water, filtered through ceramic, ceramic plus activated carbon and ceramic plus activated carbon plus magnetic treatment were 11.59, 3.90, 3.80 and 3.80 NTU, respectively. Corresponding total coliform counts were 119, 7, 7 and 7, but WHO limit is 10 cfu/100 mL. The filter weighed 2 kg, removed E. coli bacteria from the water and is recommended for water purification.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ankidawa BA, Tope AA (2017) Design of slow sand filter technology for rural water treatment in Girei, Adamawa State, North Eastern Nigeria. Asian J Environ Ecol 3(3):1–7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ann L, Linda W, Barbera K (1995) Activated carbon treatment of drinking water. A Publication of Cornell Cooperative Extension, College of Human Ecology Fact Sheet vol 3, pp 329

  • AOAC (2000) Official methods of analysis of the association of official analytical chemists, 15th edn. AOAC, Arlington

    Google Scholar 

  • APHA (2005) Standard methods for the examination of water and waste water, 21st edn. American Public Health Association, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Babu C (2010) Use of magnetic water and polymer in agriculture. Tropical Research, ID 08-806-001

  • Bonsu M (1993) Field determination of sorptivity as a function of water content using a tension infiltrometer. J Soil Sci 44:44–415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown J, Sobsey M (2006) Independent appraisal of ceramic water filtration interventions in Cambodia: Final Report. Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, USA

  • Das D, Samal DP, Meikap BC (2015) Preparation of activated carbon from green coconut shell and its characterization. J Chem Eng Process Technol 6(5):1–7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ejieji CJ, Adeniran KA (2009) Effect of water and fertilizer stress on the yield, fresh and dry matter production of grain amaranth. Austr J Agric Eng 1(1):18–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekpete OA, Marcus AC, Osi V (2017) Preparation and characterization of activated carbon obtained from plantain (Musa paradisiaca) fruit stem. J Chem 2017:1–6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EPA (2016) Water treatability databas. G anula Activat Carbon, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

  • Franz AM (2004) A Performance study of ceramic candle filter in Kenya including tests for coliphage removal. University of Carolina, Chapel Hill

    Google Scholar 

  • Gomez KA, Gomez A (1984) Statistical procedures for agricultural research, 2nd edn. Wiley, New York, pp 1–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Hozayn M, Abdul-Qados AMS (2010) Irrigation with magnetized water enhances growth, chemical constituent and yield of chickpea (Circer arietinum L.). Agric Biol J North Am 1(4):671–676

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kozic V, Krope J, Lipus LC, Ticar I (2006) Magnetic field analysis on electromagnetic water treatment. Hung J Ind Chem Veszpr 34:51–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Langenbach K, Kuschk P, Horn H, Kastner M (2009) Slow sand filtration of secondary clarifier effluent for wastewater reuse. Environ Sci Technol 43(15):5896–5901

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lipusa LC, Dobersekb D (2007) Influence of magnetic field on the aragonite precipitation. J Chem Eng Sci 62:2089–2095

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Musa K (2010) Performance of ceramic water filters made from selected Uganda clays for point-of-use. M.Sc. Thesis submitted to the Graduate School, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

  • Mwabi JK, Adeyemo FE, Mahlangu TO, Mamba BB, Brouckaert BM, Swartz CD, Offringa G, Mpenyana-Monyatsi L, Momba MNB (2011) Household water treatment systems: a solution to the production of safe drinking water by the low-income communities of Southern Africa. Phys Chem Earth 6:1120–1128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ogunlela AO, Yusuf KO (2016) Effect of magnetic treatment of water on chemical properties of water and sodium adsorption ratio. J Res For Wildl Environ 8(4):73–79

    Google Scholar 

  • Othman F, Sohaili J, Fausia Z (2009) Influence of magnetic treatment on the improvement of landfill leachate treatment. Int J Environ Waste Manag 4(3–4):433–444

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Raghunath, H. M. (2006). Hydrology principles, analysis and design, New Age International Publisher, New Delhi, 2nd Edition, 64 – 72

  • Sutton BHC (1993) Solving problems in soil mechanics, 2nd edn. Addison Wesley Longman Limited, London, pp 3–4

    Google Scholar 

  • TCMWG (2011) Best practice recommendations for local manufacturing of ceramic pot filters for household water treatment, 1st edn. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Halem D (2006) Ceramic silver impregnated pot filters for household drinking water treatment in developing countries. B.Sc. thesis submitted to Delft University of Technology, Delft

  • WHO (1996) Guidelines for drinking-water quality—health criteria and other supporting information, 2nd edn. World Health Organisation, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • WHO/UNICEF (2006) Meeting the MDG drinking water and sanita-tion target: The urban and rural challenge of the decade. World Health Organization/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for water supply and sanitation, Geneva

  • Yusuf KO, Ejieji CJ, Baiyeri MR (2018) Determination of sorptivity, infiltration rate and hydraulic conductivity of soil using a tension infiltrometer. J Res For Wildl Environ 10(3):99–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Yusuf KO, Adio-Yusuf SI, Obalowu RO (2019) Development of a simplified slow sand filter for water purification. J Appl Sci Environ Manag 23(3):389–393

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zereffa EA, Bekalo TB (2017) Clay ceramic filter for water treatment. J Mater Sci Appl Chem 34:69–74

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors really appreciate the Head of the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria (Dr. T. A. Ishola), for providing conducive environment while master student (Murtala M. O) was doing M.Eng research and for given the student access to laboratory during the programme. This article was extracted from the M.Eng research project, and the authors appreciate the constructive criticism by the lecturers of the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, University of Ilorin, Ilorin during seminars that added value to the research. The authors also appreciate Rockfield family and Head of the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, University of Ilorin, for given us the opportunity to use the Departmental furnace for heating the ceramic filter and the activated carbon.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

    K. O. Yusuf

  2. Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

    M. O. Murtala

Authors
  1. K. O. Yusuf
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. O. Murtala
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. O. Yusuf.

Additional information

Editorial responsibility: M. Abbaspour.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yusuf, K.O., Murtala, M.O. Development and performance evaluation of a portable household ceramic water filter with activated carbon and magnetic treatment unit. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 17, 4009–4018 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-020-02747-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-020-02747-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation