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MICROBIAL WATER FILTERS: GIVING LIFE BACK TO AFRICA
Christian Thomas (cmt73@pitt.edu)
INTRODUCTION: MICROBIAL WATER
FILTERS: MEETING SANITARY NEEDS
I am highly supportive of providing more clean water to
citizens in third world African countries. Some of the best
ways to provide clean water are to have water filters on
faucets, boiling water, and even drinking out of bottled water.
Unfortunately, most people living in third world African
countries do not have kitchens with faucets to put filters on,
stoves to boil water, or manufacturing plants that make
bottled water. However, I believe the most efficient way to
fulfill this goal is to offer water bottles with recyclable
microbial filters as a product in Africa. The drinking water
will go through the filter, which removes of all the microbes
and contaminants, which results in clean water that is ready
to be consumed. I wanted to take a position on the lack of
clean water availability in Africa because I am very concerned
for my fellow Africans. I have a great opportunity here in the
United States to drink clean water and I really wish those
underprivileged people in the third world African countries
could have the same opportunity as me.
MICROBIAL WATER FILTERS: WHAT DO
THEY DO?
Microbial water filters take up microbes, pathogens, and
chemicals through adsorption. Adsorption is the retention of
contaminants within a medium [1]. Microbial water filters can
use different mediums, such as cloth, sand, porous rock, and
unglazed ceramics. So as a person is drinking through a water
bottle, their originally contaminated, disgusting water will be
purified through the adsorption process and produce clean,
healthy water. The best part about this water bottle is that
there is a very slim chance of recontamination since the water
is going directly from purification into the needy person’s
mouth. Now, if there were to be a filtration system that
provided water throughout an entire village from a communal
outlet, there would be a high chance of recontamination.
During the transportation back to the respective water
carriers’ homes, pathogens and microbes from the
surrounding, unsanitary environment will more than likely get
into the once filtered water and make it contaminated once
again.
VALUE OF MICROBIAL WATER FILTERS
Being able to drink clean, uncontaminated water right from
the privacy of your own home is a privilege. A privilege most
families in Africa do not have at the moment but soon will be
able to. If they have recyclable microbial filters in water
bottles at homes, then women and children would not need to
walk two to three hours back and forth to reach the closest
source of water. There would be no need to get water from
swamps, lakes, or even rivers anymore [2]. The benefit of
having a filter is that the water won’t be recontaminated since
you drink the water immediately after its purification. Since
people will buy the water bottles with the microbial filters
once, the only thing that people would need to purchase again
are the replacement microbial filters. Also, babies and
children can live long enough to reach adulthood. Money that
was once used for cholera and diarrhea treatment can be used
for education, small businesses, and supplies to build
adequate houses. Even when the filter runs out of its medium
that adsorbs the pathogens, microbes, and other contaminants,
it can be sent back to its manufacturer for more of the medium
it contained. Also, the microbial filters will need to be sold by
somebody. Knowing that most third world countries have a
high employment issue, people will not hesitate to make
money as a salesman. Increasing sustainability, efficiency,
and economic growth, these filters will change every aspect
of the lives of families in third world countries within Africa
for the better.
DISADVANTAGES OF MICROBIAL
WATER FILTERS
Manufacturer
Even though these recyclable filters seem like such a great
idea, there are some problems that can keep the filters from
getting transported into Africa. In order to sell a product such
as this in a foreign country, there needs to be some type of
domestic support. Therefore, advertisements must be made
within the developing African countries, which will cost even
more money from the manufacturers of the microbial filters.
Also, finding the right price range for the potential foreign
customers will require plenty of research of the demographics
in Africa. Since most families in Africa make less than a
dollar a day, they would need the water bottles to have a very
low price [2]. This conflict would also cause the
manufacturers to lose money that could be going towards their
profits.
Consumer
University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering 1
2013-1001
Christian Thomas
Besides the disadvantages that face the water filter
manufacturers, the African citizens also aren’t that well off.
In some of the third world countries in Africa, there are
communal sources of water within a village that people have
quick access to. However, the closest source of water is at
least two to three hours away for most third world countries
in Africa. Most of the time, one person, more than likely a
woman or child, ventures by themselves in order to get water
for their entire family [2]. After that person gets the water,
they will walk back a couple more hours to get home. The
water carrier is an open target for a predator and any
abductors. Another risk the water carriers take is dying from
dehydration. Walking for hours on end can deplete a lot of
energy from anyone’s body. That same energy will not be
restored until the carrier reaches home, which may not even
happen. All of the time spent going to far away water sources
takes away from someone learning, working, or raising a
family.
I believe engineers really need to consider getting water
bottles with microbial water filters into Africa. Having the
access to recyclable water filters can save millions of hours
for women and children to get an education, raise families,
and to work. My dream of equal opportunities for safe,
sanitary water will finally be realized for the third world
African countries. Money that is sent to the third world
African countries as foreign aid can be redirected to solve
other issues, such as employment, education, and food, which
will directly result in stimulated economic growth, selfsufficiency, and a better quality of living.
REFERENCES
[1] J. Selendy. (2011) “Household Water Treatment and
Safe Storage in Low-Income Countries.” Water and
Sanitation-Related Diseases and the Environment:
Challenges, Interventions, and Preventive Measures. (Ebook)
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/pitt/docDetail.action?docID=10517
367
MY PASSION FOR CLEAN WATER
My main reason for having an interest in this topic is because
I am a firm believer in equality. It is highly upsetting for me
to know that 345 million people at this very moment do not
have the opportunity to access water when I have so many
sources of water surrounding me [3]. The worst part is people
in Africa are dying on a daily basis, especially children under
five years old, from illnesses caused by contaminated water.
According to the World Health Organization, over 667,500
children under five years of age died from diarrheal diseases
resulting from contaminated water in 2011 alone [4]. Africa
is my native land and I would really like to see my fellow
Africans prosper instead of enduring the turmoil of having
minute amounts of clean water they can drink. By having
water bottles with microbial filters in the homes of poor
Africans, lives would be changed for the better. Children
would be able to grow up and get a decent education. With a
decent education, those same children would be able to work
and potentially find their own ways to improve their
communities. According to Teresa Nogueira Pinto of World
Review, there is an estimated growth in the African
population to 1.4 billion people in the year 2025. This is
exactly why products like microbial water filters need to be
sold in Africa at this very moment. I can’t help but think that
a large portion of a few hundred million new lives can benefit
from the microbial water filters [5]. I am fully aware of the
fact that water bottles with recyclable microbial filters are not
an all in one solution that can end diarrhea, cholera, and many
other illnesses caused by contaminated water. However, I
know that the microbial water filters could be the beginning
of a world of opportunities to the citizens living in the third
world African countries.
[2] J. Jarvis. (2011) “Water Changes Everything” Water
Projects. (Video)
http://www.charitywater.org/media/videos/?src=trailers&vid
eo=video11
[3] G. White (2013) “Millions Lack Safe Water.” The
Crisis. (Online Article) http://water.org/water-crisis/waterfacts/water/
[4] World Health Organization. (2011) “Number of deaths:
WHO Regions Diarrheal diseases” World Health
Organization. (Website)
http://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main.CMNRREG6CH3?lang=en
[5] T. Pinto. (2012) “Africa Population Boom.” World
Review. (Online Article)
http://www.worldreview.info/content/africas-populationboom
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Judy Brink for helping me narrow my
topic down for this position paper. I would also like to thank
Beth Bateman Newborg and Nichole Faina for guiding me on
how to write this paper. I would also like to thank the people
in the people who work in the Hillman library and the
Benedum library for helping me find resources for this
position paper. Lastly, I would like to thank my friends who
have supported me throughout this entire writing process.
IMPACT OF RECYCLABLE MICROBIAL
FILTERS
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Christian Thomas
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