2003 Archive - Please Note: This is last year's information.

PreConference

Pre-Conference seminars (separate registration).

Low Cost Locally Produced Ceramic Water Filters with Colloidal Silver (1 day)

Presenters: Ron Rivera and Jennie Koch, Potters for Peace, Nicaragua

Poor water quality causes severe health problems throughout the world. In many villages, people have never not been sick. In a Mali village where Engineers Without Borders works, half the children die before they're 5 years old. Bad water caused diarrhea is the world's number one killer of babies. With a little information and training, this can change. People can use the pottery knowledge they already have to make their own inexpensive water purification systems. Since 1988, in many different countries, Potters for Peace has proven this to be the case. They developed a low-tech, low-cost, colloidal silver-enhanced ceramic water filter called the Filtron. Field experience and clinical test results have shown this filter to effectively eliminate approximately 99.88% of most water born disease agents. The Filtron has been cited by the United Nations' Appropriate Technology Handbook, and is used by the International Red Cross and the Nobel Prize winning medical relief organization Doctors Without Borders. Beyond meeting the urgent demand for safe water in rural and marginalized communities, their work has also created employment and higher standards of living for local potters. Their work includes hygiene training, follow up and evaluation as well as marketing and helping people learn the other skills need for running a successful pottery/water purification business.

This one-day workshop not only documents their experience; it will also show you exactly how these filters are made taking you through the process step-by-step while making your own.

Objective of the presentation:

By the end of the 4 hours presentation/demonstration, participants will be able to demonstrate an understanding of:

• The principles of water filtration through a ceramic membrane
• Variables involved
• Three simple techniques of production by hand and semi-industrially.

Activities:

1. To make the most of the session participants of the ceramic Water filter session should have studied the filters WEB site (www.potpaz.org) to acquire basic theoretical and historical information
2. Presentation of a 15 min. Video on the filter
3. Questions and answers (these should be oriented to information not found on the Web site)
4. Participants will be able to carry out “hands on” processing of 2 different clay and sawdust mixes through the fabrication of a ceramic water filter using the coil method, the potters wheel and through the use of an Appropriate technology hydraulic press.
5. Participants producing filters can take this home with them for firing and testing at a later date.
6. Evaluation of results via e-mail, once filters have been fired, treated with Colloidal silver and HACH tested.