Water natural filtration

[2trapper]

I'm going to trying my first attempt to water filtration and I want to start with a filter composed by these layers (from top to down)
- coarse rocks
- medium rocks
- coarse gravel
- fine gravel
- carbon
- sand

In these type of filters can you explain which level of filtration you obtain? bacteria? Chemicals? Any resource with strong evidence for reference?

Will an approach with
- medium gravel
- sand
- medium gravel
- sand
- carbon

be more correct?

 

[Laurentius]

Why the coarse and medium rocks? what is the point of those? I have been meaning to build myself a filter for the rainwater from my allotment for some time, and I would start with the gravel, and then sand, and never mind the carbon, I don't think they use carbon to filter our drinking water do they?

 

[Leshy]

... never mind the carbon, I don't think they use carbon to filter our drinking water do they?

Activated charcoal is a commonly used component of many aquarium and pond type of filters.
Also used in more expensive micro filters for improving taste of drinking water purposes.

Carbon , charcoal , activated charcoal , (same difference? ??) will improve stagnant water taste to mineral water taste in as little as 24 hrs.

It will also remove the taste that chlorine and/or iodine leave after purification of water .

 

[2trapper]

it seems that activated charcoal is made burning wood without oxygen (I think with an extremely low speed and minimal amount of oxygen). the result is a material with very high porosity, capable to catch toxins and much more. used since ancient Egypt time

 

[Janne]

I would omit :
Boulders
Coarse rocks
Medium rocks
Course Gravel
Fine gravel

Assuming there are no dead animals floating in the water.

I would do three layers:

Stainless mesh to remove leaves and similar
Thick layer of fine sand
Thick layer of moss
Thick layer of charcoal
Very fine cloth to remove bits of charcoal.

 

[Leshy]

2Trapper not sure what is the purpose of your exercise.
For drinking water? Like a portable filter for when your out in the bush?

1st consider this:

Filtration is not purification.
Vice versa

Very common mistake, people confuse both and in fact is a different method with very different outcomes.

Filtration will remove SOME bacteria, and sediment and other detritus and debris.

Purification will remove chemicals, metals, viruses, bacteria and pathogens from water .

See how different?

Mechanical or chemical filtration or purification have loads of different methods and purposes.

So can you explain if this is for portable pump for your drinking water when out camping/bushwhacking?
Boiling water after filtration is usually enough but depends on water source really...
Farm run off chemicals and voc , pesticides etc will not be removed by boiling neither by activated charcoal either .
There are solutions however...


Here are some references for you

http://www.appropedia.org/Category:Water_purification

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/11/non-profit-offers-solution-to-waterborne-disease/#.UEQNW42PWTZ

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Berkey-Water-Purifiier/
(If youre not familiar with berkey purification read this: http://www.green-trust.org/diyrainwater/Black_Berkey.pdf)


Make more
http://www.off-grid.net/diy-water-filter-purifier/



👍

Hope it helps

 

[Leshy]

Mispost, sorry.

 

[Leshy]

The water wiki should be
a good resource for your project...

http://water.wikia.com/wiki/Water_purification



This is a huge!!! Resource of links and free information on safe water systems

http://www.cdc.gov/safewater/resources.html





And this is very good too...


http://akvopedia.org/wiki/Water_Portal
Everything you need to know for scale up or scale down ....
The whole village or just for you...
Rainwater or well





Happy reading and remember to share this info and help others.
Water is life and finite.


Clean water is more precious than platinum...It's just that most of us haven't realised that....

👍

 

[dewi]

I would omit :
Boulders
Coarse rocks
Medium rocks
Course Gravel
Fine gravel

Lol... nicely put... gave me a giggle.

 

[dewi]

Clean water is more precious than platinum...It's just that most of us haven't realised that....

��

I'll swap you... a litre of clean water for the equivalent in platinum. As clean water is more valuable, its a good deal for you

 

[Hammock_man]

Thought our neighbourhood was bad, where do you live where water is worth more than platinum

 

[Leshy]

I'll swap you... a litre of clean water for the equivalent in platinum. As clean water is more valuable, its a good deal for you

OK, in 50 years time
.. blink of an eye in planetary terms



😝

 

[forestwalker]

Are you trying for a version of the infamous Swedish charcoal-sphagnum-peat filter? If so be aware of the fact that it was intended to remove residues from nuclear fallout or chemical weapons, and followed by sterilization. The studies showed that it worked at least partially for its intended purpose, but that it somehow ended up being presented as removing pathogens, which is does NOT do (in some cases it adds more bacteria to the water). I would only use it if I suspected chemical contamination. In the early 90's I was taught that it worked, but it did not, and people have gotten ill relying on it.

If you are trying to replicate commercial filters remember that they generally have very carefully packed filtration carefully prepared media. If I literally had no other way to purify water I would try to replicate a activated carbon filter by carefully grinding it to an even grain size (flour, not coarser), and then pouring a slurry of this unto a longish column (wild guess: 50 cm), and then packing it by producing somehow an even flow of water though it for a few hours. This would be a very science nerdy exercise, very difficult to get right, and no other way in the field to verify the results than to check for illness in the ones drinking the resultant water.

 

[Leshy]

Thought our neighbourhood was bad, where do you live where water is worth more than platinum

Hahahah, yeah OK , a little dramatic, as I don't live neither in Ethiopia or Mogadishu where monetary value is more trouble than its worth and you'd be better off just sticking to growing your own and keeping it simple...
However...

This is being taken out of context, so I shall explain ...

Water is life.
Life depends on it.
...without it, you and your crops will die.


Platinum is not life , without it you will be fine, the planet and your crops will be fine too...

"Time will tell" as the late Bob Marley sang.

I'm sure one (which one?) of the central/south America ancient civilisations perished despite having lots, LOTS of gold.
All indicates that a severe drought for years on end would be the most probable cause to their demise.


In realistic terms , right now water is already more useful than platinum , oil, gold and silver put together...

If we just think out of the little box that we call "reality" , we can all clearly understand what I meant.
Not in a financial ,business , false economics context.
This financial system is fictitious, and was created to enslave you and the rest of us...

I hope I am wrong and that climate change doesn't wipe us all out, but I can foresee that in a few decades life will be very different indeed.

Most civilisations in history have had a 10000 year life span...
We are already outstaying our welcome here...

OK , rant over...

😀

 

[Laurentius]

Activated charcoal is a commonly used component of many aquarium and pond type of filters.
Also used in more expensive micro filters for improving taste of drinking water purposes.

Carbon , charcoal , activated charcoal , (same difference? ??) will improve stagnant water taste to mineral water taste in as little as 24 hrs.

It will also remove the taste that chlorine and/or iodine leave after purification of water .

Fair enough, keep the charcoal

 

[Janne]

The Swedish Army Book of Survival recommends that you finely cruch charcoal and mix it with peat from just beneath the living moss ( low mummyfied peat), 2 parts peat and one part charcoal. Placed above a layer of moss ( Spagnum).
Everything hold in place by small stones.
The peat, aided by the charcoal, has the ability to remove contaminants, heavy metal ions and radioactivity.

It recommends that the water is boiled after the filter.

Edit: note that the Swedish Army operated in Scandinavia, where the majority of wild water is very clean. I personally drink water straight from the streams in Scandinavia.
Would not do it in any other place though. In Italy and most countries I want to have my mineral water bottle opened at the table by the waiter.

 

[2trapper]

I think Leshy got the point. thanks for your post, Leshy. The term filtration is, for sure, the most appropriate and the purpose of the task was intended in order to understand better the processes in the field. The setting was a not expected need for using on site water and the relative assessment for risk (chemical, bacterial and more). Your post was striking clear. Thanks for it

 

[forestwalker]

The Swedish Army Book of Survival recommends that you finely cruch charcoal and mix it with peat from just beneath the living moss ( low mummyfied peat), 2 parts peat and one part charcoal. Placed above a layer of moss ( Spagnum).
Everything hold in place by small stones.
The peat, aided by the charcoal, has the ability to remove contaminants, heavy metal ions and radioactivity.
.

Do note that the use of this filter has been banned in the Swedish armed forces for quite some time now.

 

[Janne]

Do note that the use of this filter has been banned in the Swedish armed forces for quite some time now.

Has it? My book is from 1988.
What do they recommend these days?

 

[Laurentius]

Do note that the use of this filter has been banned in the Swedish armed forces for quite some time now.

Is that because it is ineffective or on conservation grounds?