MIT Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage Innovations

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Susan Murcott, Lecturer Mass Institute of

1 MIT Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage Innovations Demo to WHO International Network to Promote Safe Household Drinking Water and Safe Storage Nairobi, Kenya June 15, 2004 Susan Murcott, Lecturer Mass Institute of Technology Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

2 Since 1998, about 30 students have done MIT Master of Engineering thesis projects on household drinking water treatment and safe storage in various developing countries including: Nepal, Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Peru

3 2. Butwal Everywhere 3. Kathmandu 1. Lumbini 4. Parasi 5. Trekking

7 Put group photo here Our Group

8 In drinking water projects to date, we have 7 areas of activity: (1) Methodological Evaluation (2) Site Investigation (water quality testing for microbiological contamination, arsenic, other) (3) Technology Evaluation (existing options) (4) Technology Innovation (5) Pilot Programs and Monitoring (6) Manufacturing and Marketing (7) Implementation

9 Technology Innovation

10 1. The Ceramic Disk Filter (also known as the Lily Filter ) 2. Melanie Pitcher Slow Sand Filter 3.Xanat s Semi- Continuous SODIS Disinfection 4. Tommy s Arsenic Biosand Filter

11 Ceramic Disk Filter (the Lily Filter )

12 Candle

13 Filter Media/Element Ceramic Water Filter Types Filter System Disk Candle Pot

15 Here is Jason Low, making ceramic disk filters at Madyapur Clay Crafts, Thimi, Nepal

17 Our Prototype Ceramic Disk Filter The CeraMIT team has come up with a terracotta clay filter disk system for treating drinking water.

18 Lily Filter We have also come up with a prototype of a plastic filter system to contain a ceramic disk. This system allows the user to remove the centerpiece disk easily, for cleaning or replacement. We call it the Lily filter because it was designed by Mech.Eng. student Lily Cheung We expect this system to cost about $6.00 Courtesy of Lily Cheung

20 Melanie Pitcher Filter

21 Here s Melanie at her filter testing field site in Lumbini, Nepal.

22 MIT students have been studying slow sand filters and BioSand Filters in Nepal and Nicaragua since 2000.

23 BioSand Filter A variation on the slow sand filter. The biosand filter has these characteristics: Intermittent slow sand filter for household use Invented in the 1990s by Dr. David Manz of Alberta, Canada at the University of Alberta. Uses of local materials sand, concrete or plastic Flow rate (3-30L/hr) Somewhat expensive for low income countries ($25)

25 Melanie Pitcher Filter - The Melanie Pitcher Filter is a smaller, portable alternative to the BioSand filter. - Costs only $1.00! -It is a potential interim measure for poorer households until they can afford a larger capacity water filter. - Field and laboratory experiments comparing the Melanie Pitcher Filter with the concrete and plastic biosand filters gave good results!

26 Melanie Pitcher Filter - Microbial (E. coli) removal of pitcher filters comparable to existing BioSand filtration technology Ṅepal MIT Pitcher 80% 97% filters 86% 97% BioSand 81% 95% filters 87% Ripening period (d) - Strong correlation between biofilm maturation periods & source water quality.

27 Xanat s Semi Continuous Solar Disinfection

28 Semi- Continuous Solar Disinfection MIT environmental engineering student, Xanat Flores, from Mexico, developed a semi-continuous solar disinfection system. It costs about $1.00! But before we explain Xanat s system, we need to explain SODIS.

29 What is SODIS? PET plastic bottles exposed to solar radiation for 1-2 days to disinfect drinking water Variations: Exposure time Clear, black or reflective surface

30 Here s Amer Khayyat, also of Lebanon, studying SODIS in Nepal in January 2000

31 What is Semi-Continuous SODIS? Polluted water container Roof of House with solar disinfection system Inside house collection of purified Water

32 SEMI-CONTINUOUS SODIS VALVE TO ASSURE RESIDENCE TIME OF TWO DAYS PET BOTTLES, GLUED TOGETHER

33 Xanat performs Semi-Continuous SODIS experiments Lumbini, Nepal -- January 2003

34 Semi-Continuous SODIS Uses recycled clear, plastic bottles (PET) bottles, cut in 2 and glued together. Disinfects water by 2 means: Solar Radiation and the Sun s Heat Simple The Nepal Project

35 Tommy s Arsenic Biosand Filter

36 Tansen Lumbini Parasi Nawalparasi NEPAL

37 Tommy s Arsenic Biosand Filter Invented by Tommy Ngai (M.Eng.2002) Won MIT IDEAS Design Competition (2002) and World Bank Development Marketplace (2003) Competition Concept: Arsenic filter combined with microbiological filter Arsenic removed by adsorption to iron nails; bacteria removed by sand filtration and biological means Pilot scale studies in Fall 2002 to Spring ,200 units in ,500 units in 03-04

38 Tommy doing experiment Concept: An arsenic filter combined with a microbiological filter Theory: Arsenic removed by adsorption to iron nails Bacteria removed by sand filtration and biological activities

39 Technical Performance (16 Filters Pilot Study) Technical Indicators Average Results Arsenic Removal 93 % Total Coliform Removal 58 % E. Coli Removal 64 % Iron Removal 93 % Flow Rate 14 L/hr

40 Phase II Evaluation Summary 2-Kolshi 3-Kolshi ABF Arsenic removal 85-90% 95-99% 93-95% Iron removal Not tested Not tested Bacteria removal Not tested Materials availability Easy construction Simple O&M Long-term sustainability User acceptance Low initial cost Low running cost Overall Ranking 3rd 2nd Best = poor = moderate = good

scheme Implementation scheme include: 1.

41 Arsenic Filter Implementation Collaboration between MIT, ENPHO, Nepal Red Cross, RWSSSP Scale up our pilot study to 1200 ABFs Seeking funds to expand our scheme Implementation scheme include: 1. Establish an in-country ABF network among partner agencies 2. Setup ABF Technology Centers for enhanced research and training

42 3. Build capacity in local authorities, village committees, school teachers, etc.

43 4. Train local technicians and entrepreneurs in ABF construction, O&M, troubleshooting 5. Hold village-level health education and filter demonstration workshops

44 6. Follow up monitoring and evaluation 7. Dissemination of findings through conferences, etc. to the development community and interested parties.

45 Tommy doing experiment

46 Laboratory Methods Innovations

49 Indicator Organisms Total Coliform Fecal Coliform E.coli H 2 S Producing Bacteria Total Coliform H 2 S bacteria Fecal Coliform

50 TC/E.coli P/A results (+ TC)

51 H2S P/A results

52 m-coliblue24 (TC/E.coli)

53 The Phase-Change Incubator Phase-change technology maintains constant temperature Allows microbial testing in areas without electricity Reliable, low cost design