Low-cost ceramic filtration for point-of-use water treatment in low-income countries

Abstract

A large proportion of the population in low-income countries (LICs) has limited access to portable drinking water. This leads to many people consuming contaminated water, which is associated with several health risks. It is thus, important to reduce exposure to water-borne pathogens and toxic chemicals through effective water treatment. In this regard, point of use (POU) water treatment techniques can ensure quality drinking water, especially where water treatment systems are compromised, or where centralized water treatment systems are non-existent. An affordable POU water treatment option for LICs is the use of ceramic filtration. The goal of this review is to evaluate the application of ceramic filtration as a POU technique in LICs. Specifically, the review aims to: (1) review previous studies on low-cost ceramic filters used in LICs, (2) evaluate the pollutant removal performance and limitations of the filters, and (3) provide future research directions. The major findings are: (1) low-cost ceramic filters are effective POU devices, (2) modification of ceramic filters improves performance, and (3) more robust multicomponent removal devices can be made from combining ceramic filtration and other techniques. Overall, this information is important for use by local authorities in LICs in formulating policies and regulations that conduce the provision of safe drinking water to disadvantaged communities.