Graduation Year

2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.S.E.S.

Degree Granting Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Major Professor

James R. Mihelcic

Keywords

Dominican Republic, flow rate, household water treatment and safe storage, hydraulic conductivity, point-of-use treatment

Abstract

Currently 884 million people worldwide are living without access to an improved source of drinking water (WHO/UNICEF, 2011). Piped-water on premises is the ultimate goal of World Health Organization (WHO) due to the ability to treat all of the water and distribute it safely in pressurized pipes. However, Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage (HWTS) is an option for improving the quality of drinking water where that infrastructure is not yet developed, especially where there is a risk of recontamination between point of collection and point of use (Clasen, 2006).

This study analyzed one such HWTS, the ceramic pot water filter. The study compared the hydraulic properties of the FilterPure (FP) and Potters for Peace (PFP) ceramic pot filters through a thirteen-month field study in the Dominican Republic and laboratory studies at the University of South Florida.

In the field study 55 filters were tested for first hour flow rate and hydraulic conductivity. Eight first hour flow rate tests were conducted in the field on one month intervals during months 7- 13. FP filters had an average first hour flow rate of 553 ml/hr and PFP Filters had a first hour flow rate of 395 ml/hr. No significant change in first hour flow rate was observed over time in FP filters. PFP experienced an average increase of 31 ml/hr per month during the seven-month testing period.

Falling head tests were conducted on four filters in the laboratory and the flow rate was modeled to determine hydraulic conductivity. Hydraulic conductivity values for FP filters ranged from k = 0.0495 - 0.0831 cm/hr and for PFP filters ranged from k = 0.0136 - 0.0389 cm/hr.

Eight out of 29 (26%) Potters for Peace filters in the field had first hour flow rates of less than 250 ml/hr by month nine of the study and had to be replaced and removed from the study. In total 24 of 55 (44%) filters (8 FP and 16 PFP) had to be removed from the study due to several reasons discussed in this thesis.

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