Avoiding the Use of Exhausted DrinkingWater Filters: A Filter-Clock Based on Rusting Iron

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Date
2018-05-02Author
Ndé-Tchoupé, Arnaud Igor
Lufingo, Mesia
Hu, Rui
Gwenzi, Willis
Ntwampe, Seteno Karabo Obed
Noubactep, Chicgoua
Njau, Karoli
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Efficient but affordable water treatment technologies are currently sought to solve the
prevalent shortage of safe drinking water. Adsorption-based technologies are in the front-line of
these efforts. Upon proper design, universally applied materials (e.g., activated carbons, bone chars,
metal oxides) are able to quantitatively remove inorganic and organic pollutants as well as pathogens
from water. Each water filter has a defined removal capacity and must be replaced when this
capacity is exhausted. Operational experience has shown that it may be difficult to convince some
low-skilled users to buy new filters after a predicted service life. This communication describes the
quest to develop a filter-clock to encourage all users to change their filters after the designed service
life. A brief discussion on such a filter-clock based on rusting of metallic iron (Fe0) is presented.
Integrating such filter-clocks in the design of water filters is regarded as essential for safeguarding
public health.