Production of Clay-based Ceramic Filter for Water Purification

The spread of Diseases like Cholera and Diarrhea, which leads to loss of lives in developing countries is commonly caused by use of contaminated water. In this study ceramic pot filters for rural area water purification were developed. The clay sample was tested for physical properties and the mixtures of the clay and sawdust were made in seven (7) proportions of 75/25, 70/30, 65/35, 60/40, 55/45, 50/50, 45/55. The soil tests conducted on the different portions of the clay and sawdust material revealed that the shrinkage of the sawdust blended clay reduced to the minimum of 6.3 compared to the pure clay with 13.7. A fluid dynamic test experiment on each filter was conducted; similarly total dissolved solids (TDS), pH and turbidity tests for both raw water and filtered water were conducted. From fluid dynamic test results, filter 50/50 % tends to have higher filtration rate compared to the other two filters. From the TDS, pH, and turbidity test, the results obtained show that the filtered water quality has fallen within the world health organization (WHO) standard. It can therefore be concluded that the filtered water is safe for consumption.