Water Purification
Saturday, October 9th, 2010What method of water purification you teach someone who has lived in a third world country and did not own?
3. What method of water purification you teach someone who has lived in a third world country and had no water safe to drink? Why?
Most of these responses are quite unrealistic. No chlorine, no iodine, not enough fuel available to Boil water, no money for PUR or carbon filters, activated carbon is particularly unavailable. But it depends on what is available. A Purification reasonably inexpensive system could be made from a settling tank, sand filter, pipes and water taps. An engineer should design can be quickly around these items if they are available locally. Simplicity, materials and durablity that may be available easily replaced by local sources is essential. It's silly to use a computerized system for the instance where the power are irregular supplies. The most water supplies in the "first world" have been filtered but not chlorinated until about 100 years ago. Filter water through a thick layer of clean sand with a layer of crushed charcoal under it. Many microorganisms are associated with clay particles. The sand must be cleaned or replaced frequently. Distribute clay filters made with sawdust mixed with clay. When firing the sawdust burns, leaving a porous clay suitable for filtration. store water filtered for 24 hours, covered, in a container made of copper or brass. Copper kills certain bacteria etc. Place water in a clear plastic bottle and leave a few days in full sun. Which also kills some bacteria. There is no way to ensure that water does not contain harmful organisms, even in the "first world". All you can do is to delete most of them and stop the rest to grow.