Development and Application of a Pond Water Filtration Unit Using a Simple Ceramic Filter in a Rural Area of Bangladesh

Abstract

The eff ectiveness of suspended solid (SS), total coliforms (TC), and Escherichia coli (E. coli) removal from pond waters in a rural area of Bangladesh by a fi ltration unit using simple ceramic fi lter (SCF) was investigated. The SCF was manufactured using Bangladesh local clay soil and rice bran, and the fi lter unit was made by attaching the SFC to a l clay fl ower pot. Laboratory testing with artifi cial pond water was performed in Japan followed by a fi eld test with actual pond water in Bangladesh. The log removal of TC and E. coli by the fi ltration unit in the laboratory test was to log or more, and in the fi eld test, it was to log or more during the wet season and approximately . log during the dry season. The fi lter unit also had good removal effi ciency for SS (primarily algae) from the raw pond water. The eff ect of additional devices (iron net, rice husk charcoal and immobilized rice husk charcoal) was not apparent, but the addition of an iron net decreased dissolved phosphorus (D P). The fi lter unit can be applied to actual pond water and is an alternative treatment system for pond water.