Suitability of Some Selected Clay Deposit from Edo, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti State of Nigeria for Ceramic Water Filters Production

This study is designed to investigate the suitability of selected Nigeria clay deposit for clay based ceramic water filters (CWFs). Clay samples were taken from five randomly selected locations in Nigeria Namely: Okpella (Edo1) and Ojirami (Edo2) in Edo;Ikere in Ekiti state;FUTA in Ondo state and Onibode in Ogun to determine their suitability for clay based ceramic water filters (CWFs). Experimental analysis for linear shrinkage, water absorption, bulk density, compressive strength X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) was carried out on each of the clay samples. Test results reveal that all the clays contain high contents of alumina (Al2O3) and silica (SiO2) with minor contents of P2O5, Fe2O3, MgO, K2O, MnO and TiO2. The average crystal sizes of the clay were between 15 and 27 nm. Lattice structure indicates that the sample is Monoclinic and Anorthic. Ceramic water filters (CWFs) were made from a mixture of clay and sawdust at different volume ratios, and processed into test samples. Water absorption, linear shrinkage and compressive strength of the clay based ceramic filters (CWFs), reveal that as the volume ratio of sawdust increases these properties decrease. Flow rate analysis indicates that Edo and Ekiti ceramic water filters (CWFs) have higher flow rates. The research indicates that Edo and Ekiti Clay with specification of some industrial clays shows that the samples can be recommended for use in clay based ceramic water filters production.

Evaluation of drinking water treatment combined filter backwash water recycling technology based on comet and micronucleus assay

Based on the fact that recycling of combined filter backwash water（CFBW）directly to drinking water treatment plants（WTP）is considered to be a feasible method to enhance pollutant removal efficiency,we were motivated to evaluate the genotoxicity of water samples from two pilot-scale drinking water treatment systems,one with recycling of combined backwash water,the other one with a conventional process.An integrated approach of the comet and micronucleus（MN）assays was used with zebrafish（Danio rerio）to investigate the water genotoxicity in this study.The total organic carbon（TOC）,dissolved organic carbon（DOC）,and trihalomethane formation potential（THMFP）,of the recycling process were lower than that of the conventional process.All the results showed that there was no statistically significant difference（P〉0.05）between the conventional and recycling processes,and indicated that the genotoxicity of water samples from the recycling process did not accumulate in 15 day continuous recycling trial.It was worth noting that there was correlation between the concentrations of TOC,DOC,UV（254）,and THMFPs in water and the DNA damage score,with corresponding R^2 values of 0.68,0.63,0.28,and 0.64.Nevertheless,both DNA strand breaks and MN frequency of all water samples after disinfection were higher than that of water samples from the two treatment units,which meant that the disinfection by-products（DBPs）formed by disinfection could increase the DNA damage.Both the comet and MN tests suggest that the recycling process did not increase the genotoxicity risk,compared to the traditional process.

Phosphate adsorption performance of a novel filter substrate made from drinking water treatment residuals

Phosphate is one of the most predominant pollutants in natural waters. Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the phosphate adsorption performance of a（NFS） made from drinking water treatment residuals. The adsorption of phosphate on the NFS fitted well with the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo second-order kinetic models. At p H 7.0, the maximum adsorption capacity of 1.03 mg/g was achieved at 15°C corresponding to the wastewater temperature in cold months, and increased notably to 1.31 mg/g at 35°C.Under both acidic conditions（part of the adsorption sites was consumed） and basic conditions（negative charges formed on the surface of NFS, which led to a static repulsion of PO43-and HPO42-）, the adsorption of phosphate was slightly inhibited. Further study showed that part of the adsorption sites could be recovered by 0.25 mol/L Na OH. The activation energy was calculated to be above 8.0 k J/mol, indicating that the adsorption of phosphate on NFS was probably a chemical process. Considering the strong phosphate adsorption capacity and recoverability, NFS showed great promise on enhancing phosphate removal from the secondary treated wastewater in the filtration process.

Ceramic water filter for point-of-use water treatment in developing countries: Principles, challenges and opportunities

Drinking water source contamination poses a great threat to human health in developing countries.Point-of-use(POU)water treatment techniques,which improve drinking water quality at the household level,offer an affordable and convenient way to obtain safe drinking water and thus can reduce the outbreaks of waterbome diseases.Ceramic water filters(CWFs),fabricated from locally sourced materials and manufactured by local labor,are one of the most socially acceptable POU water treatment technologies because of their effectiveness,low-cost and ease of use.This review concisely summarizes the critical factors that influence the performance of CWFs,including(1)CWF manufacturing process(raw material selection,firing process,silver impregnation),and(2)source water quality.Then,an in-depth discussion is presented with emphasis on key research efforts to address two major challenges of conventional CWFs,including(1)simultaneous increase of filter flow rate and bacterial removal efficiency,and(2)removal of various concerning pollutants,such as viruses and metal(loid)s.To promote the application of CWFs,future research directions can focus on:(1)investigation of pore size distribution and pore structure to achieve higher flow rates and effective pathogen removal by elucidating pathogen transport in porous ceramic and adjusting manufacture parameters;and(2)exploration of new surface modification approaches with enhanced interaction between a variety of contaminants and ceramic surfaces.