The motivation behind the Percolator Project is the belief that clean drinking water should be a right, not a privilege. Water is necessary for all bodily functions, and while we can go several weeks without food, we would bar ely last one without water{{39 Palaniappan, Meena 2010; }}. Considering that the Earth is 70 percent water, it is surprising how many people do not have access to clean, safe drinking water. Over 884 million people currently are using unsafe or contaminated drinking water sources{{2 Pruss,Annette 2002; }}. Surface water, such as rivers, lakes, and ponds are the most easily accessible sources of water, however their accessibility makes them the most susceptible to contamination. Animal and human excrement as well as sewage are the most common contaminants found in surface water{{10 Baker, D. L. 2006; }}. Ground water is generally safer to use, however accessing it is expensive because a drill and a pump are required. Drinking contaminated water directly results in disease, and often death. Water Borne diseases generally cause diarrhea, cholera, or dysentery. Together with sanitation and hygiene the diseases cause the deaths of 1.8 million people per year, mostly children who are the most susceptible to these diseases. Of the 1.8 million deaths, 88% can be attributed to unsafe drinking water. That amounts to 1.58 million deaths a year due to lack of clean water{{2 Pruss,Annette 2002; }}. Cost and availability are the main issues with current products on the market. The communities that do not have access to clean water do not have the resources or capital to treat their water. Our second goal is to make the percolator as affordable as possible, without sacrificing effectiveness. effectiveness. Many of the people who do not have access to safe drinking water, water, also live in poverty; most make less than one dollar per day so it is important that the percolator be affordable{{10 Baker, D. L. 2006; }}. Some systems like chlorine tablets or sterilization packets are manufactured and must be shipped. Current systems do not use local, available resources and are not renewable, or rechargeable. Providing people with safe drinking water will not only help maintain health standards and save lives, but it will increase the quality of life, and productivity of the individuals. If people are have access to clean water then they can spend their time and energy tackling other issues. Current filtration system use widely accepted technologies that the percolator project hopes to take advantage of with respect to low cost, efficacy, and availability. A few examples include: activated carbon, membrane protection grilles, chlorine tablets, iodine pellets, sand, manipulated clay materials, charcoal, charcoal, and pre-filter sponges ± just t o name a few{{13 Total Coliform 1971; }}. As far as an inorganic system is concerned, products like chlorine tablets, and iodine pellets have higher costs related to manufacturing and distribution. Also, chemicals such as these may cause other problems if used incorrectly{{14 Emerick,Robert W. 1999; }}. The percolator project hopes to stay away from chemicals and primarily use organic materials. However a completely organic system may not be possible due to the lack of quality and effectiveness achieved by simply using an organic system. Therefore, a membrane or pre-filter sponge may be needed to create a useful and successful filter. Membrane systems help to remove particles down to a certain micron size alleviating the clarity and taste issues associated with stagnant surface water; not to mention captures microorganism like diarrheal disease causing bacteria down to a particular diameter {{3 Harris,Steven E. 1977; }}. In addition, a membrane helps to make other systems more efficient in their respective, complementary duties. A pre-filter sponge helps to control the flow of water through the system ensuring effectiveness while also helping to start the filtration process. Organic materials like activate carbon, charcoal, clay, and sand take advantage of naturally occurring biological processes that combat disease causing microorganisms. In addition, activated carbon, charcoal, clay, and sand have large surface area potentials and small pore sizes that are concurrent in capabilities as membranes or sponges. There are a few products currently available, such as the LifeStraw® and the Life Saver Bottle ® that are successful at potable water usage. However, they have serious drawbacks that prevent them from being widely distributed or accepted. For example, the LifeStraw® is a portable water filter usually worn around a persons neck. The LifeStraw® must be remembered and carried with a person at all times, making it inconvenient and forgettable. Another problem includes the usage of iodine pellets, which is a chemical substance that must be replaced or renewed after the lifespan of
the product has exceeded (around 700 liters of water or one year of usefulness). In other words, a new product must be purchased about once a year to continually have access to clean water. Life Saver Bottle ®, on the other hand has a replaceable activated carbon filter helping to relieve future costs. The downside to the Life Saver Bottle ®, is that the initial cost is much higher causing a lack of propensity in the developing world. In addition to the LifeStraw® and the Life Saver Bottle ®, other emerging technologies are the bio sand filter, and the clay pot filter. The biosand filter lacks efficacy by producing a much lower bacterial removal rate, (around 95% removal compared with LifeStraw® at 99.9% removal). Furthermore, the biosand filter also requires more time and may even need a form of pre-treatment before use making it less convenient {{8 Wilson T. Calaway 1957; }}. The clay pot filter also lacks effectiveness in that it does not remove viruses and only removes around 96% of other bacteria. However, the clay pot filter does have the advantage in that it can be manufactured and produce almost anywhere alleviating shipment and distribution costs. Although the clay pot filter may seem adequate in that respect, education on manufacturing is required; which causes an acceptability problem {{10 Baker, D. L. 2006; }}. The focus of our project is on sustainable development, health, hygiene and sanitation. If we are successful in our implementation of the Percolator it will help achieve the aforementioned goals. The Percolator will help solve the issue of finding a perfectly clean water source. In many villages women have to spend their days in search of clean water. The waters usage is then delineated by the family¶s most urgent need; which may mean going without food or clean clothes until the next day{{39 Palaniappan, Meena 2010; }}. A successful filter would help create a more convenient solution for villages without direct access to a clean water source. Instead of spending the day in search of a clean water source, stagnant pools of unclean water that are more accessible may be collected and cleaned quickly helping to solve the issue of daily outlined water usage. A successful filter will clean muddy water of most contaminants making it safe to drink and use. The percolator will also relieve other filter duties like water boiling and UV sterilization that are time consuming and more expensive do to energy costs. In addition to the immediate benefits of improved water quality, long-term benefits like reduction in diarrheal diseases will occur. Filtered water will provide a lasting effect on human health preventing the spread and contraction of disease, which will ultimately reduce death rates especially among young children. It is our belief that everyone should have access to the same high quality water that is enjoyed in the United States. In the United States the EPA regulates the quality of the drinking water by issuing Maximum Contaminant Levels, which dictate the largest concentration of a particular pathogen allowable (often given in milligrams per liter){{9 Waste Water Technology Fact Sheet 1999; }}. It is the Projects goal to treat water as close to EPA standards as possible. The EPA regulates organic as well as inorganic pollutants, however microorganisms present in the water are the primary cause of diarrheal diseases. Current standards call for complete removal of Cryptosporidium, Giardia Lamblia, Legionella, and Total Coliforms including E. Coli and viruses{{13 Total Coliform 1971; }}. These particular pathogens will be the main focus in our effort to effectively combat diarrheal diseases. The Percolator Project hopes to alleviate the proceeding mentioned problems by creating a system that is accepted, effective, and convenient. Accepted because of its reliable ability to help improve health standards; effective because of its power to improve the health of the people using it by preventing disease and death; and convenient since we hope to create a system that can be easily cleaned, reused, and work on a larger at home scale. In other words, we hope to create a family friendly filtration system that is more accessible than portable methods while being just as effective on a larger scale. Our biggest construction obstacles will include: filtration rate, bacteria retention rate, service life, and low cost. After solutions to each have been obtained, hopefully we w ill have created a system that is accepted and implemented in developing country¶s households around the world. It is then our mission to sustain and improve life on a global scale in an effort to assimilate life standards.
