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3D-printed clay-based ceramic water filters for point-of-use water treatment applications

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Abstract

Water is necessary for the survival of all living beings, essential for health and should be a fundamental right for every human being. Thus, to provide enough water with good quality to populations, researchers are currently focusing on the development of innovative processes, such as ceramic water filters, that are easy to operate and inexpensive. The objective is to allow access to sufficient quality water at the point of use. To this end, one of the innovative techniques that has been applied in various fields of science is three-dimensional (3D) printing. In the present work, a 3D printer, Ultimaker 1, initially intended for plastic-based printing, was adapted for use in the manufacture of ceramic filters. These filters can find applications in water treatment for consumption at the point of use. Our study shows that this innovative concept could become a viable alternative in the near future for supplying a sufficient quantity of good-quality drinking water in developing countries.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire des Sciences et Techniques de l’Eau (LSTE), Université d’Abomey-Calavi (UAC), 04 BP 823, Cotonou, Benin

    Akuemaho Virgile Onésime Akowanou, Hontonho Espérance Justine Deguenon & Martin Pépin Aina

  2. Chaire UNESCO en Sciences, Technologies et Environnement, Université d’Abomey-Calavi (UAC), 04 BP823, Cotonou, Benin

    Akuemaho Virgile Onésime Akowanou, Hontonho Espérance Justine Deguenon & Martin Pépin Aina

  3. Department of Environmental and Water Technology, Van Hall Larenstein, Part of Wageningen University and Research, Post Box 1528, 8901 BV, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

    Leo Groendijk

  4. Laboratoire de Procédés Industriels, de Synthèse, de l’Environnement et des Énergies Nouvelles, Groupe des Procédés et Environnement Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny de Yamoussoukro, B.P. 1093, Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast

    Benjamin Kouassi Yao

  5. Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS-Centre Eau, Terre et Environnement), Université du Québec, 490 rue de la Couronne, Québec, QC, G1K 9A9, Canada

    Patrick Drogui

Authors
  1. Akuemaho Virgile Onésime Akowanou
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  2. Hontonho Espérance Justine Deguenon
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  3. Leo Groendijk
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  4. Martin Pépin Aina
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  5. Benjamin Kouassi Yao
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  6. Patrick Drogui
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Correspondence to Akuemaho Virgile Onésime Akowanou.

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Akowanou, A.V.O., Deguenon, H.E.J., Groendijk, L. et al. 3D-printed clay-based ceramic water filters for point-of-use water treatment applications. Prog Addit Manuf 4, 315–321 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40964-019-00091-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40964-019-00091-9

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