Two potters in the tiny town of Enderby, BC, realized something amazing: Clay is the ideal material from which to make water filters (CWFs). Its internal pore space and structure (and thus filtering efficiency) can be tuned by clay selection, percentage and type of organic combustible and firing temperature. The fired ceramic is also an ideal carrier to host colloidal silver. When optimized, this forces bacteria on a torturous journey that ends in their demise! The result was "Potters Without Borders" and their own journey to facilitate the research, development and commercial application of CWF technology that permits people in developing countries to draw water from unreliable sources. As master organizers and prioritizers, they have enabled factories in Africa, even under sub-optimal conditions, to create teams capable of commercializing the production of these (using hydraulic presses). And they have standardized testing to measure capacity and performance. It has been a David and Goliath story of being listened to above the noise from multinationals.
So, what about the clay? Is it special? No. A wide range of clays can be made to work. As noted, they do testing to determine how much combustible to add (typically 40%), what temperature to fire (typically 850-925C) and how well colloidal silver is absorbed. Target performance is 1-3 liters per hour.
| URLs |
https://www.potterswithoutborders.com/
Potters Without Borders - Ceramic water filters for developing countries |
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