BIOLOGICAL SAND

WATER PURIFICATION FILTER

MARK EIMER

LAURA WILSON

CUSTOMER/SOCIETY• TIMOR-LESTE/EAST TIMOR, INDONESIA

• CAPITAL: DILI

• POPULATION: 1,040,880 (2005 ESTIMATE)

• LANGUAGE: OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ARE PORTUGUESE AND

TETUM

• RELIGION: MAJOR RELIGION ROMAN CATHOLIC

• ADULT LITERACY: 59 PERCENT

• LIFE EXPECTANCY: 55 YEARS

• GOVERNMENT: REPUBLIC

• ACCESS TO SAFE WATER: 52 PERCENT

• POPULATION LIVING ON LESS THAN NZ$3/DAY: UNKNOWN

BIOLOGICAL SAND WATER PURIFICATION

60 Inches Tall

4 Inches Tall

12 Inches Diameter

40 Inches Tall

Diffuser Plate

Cover

Fine Gravel

Coarse Gravel

Spout

2 Inches Tall

4 Inches Tall

Biological Sand Layer

Filter Sand

BIOLOGICAL SAND WATER PURIFICATION

PROOF OF CONCEPT

• MATERIALS

• TWO FIVE GALLON BUCKETS WITH

LIDS

• PLAY SAND

• PEA GRAVEL

• RIVER ROCK

• ½” PVC PIPE

PROOF OF CONCEPT

• PROCESS

• PVC PIPE ½” OFF OF THE BOTTOM

• ONE INCH RIVER ROCK ON THE BOTTOM

• ONE INCH PEA GRAVEL ON TOP OF RIVER

ROCK

• EIGHT INCHES OF PLAY SAND ON TOP OF

PEA GRAVEL

• LID WAS USED AS A DIFFUSER PLATE

• SECOND BUCKET WAS USED FOR

RESERVOIR

SPECIFICATIONS

• CONCRETE CONTAINER 60 INCHES TALL X 12 INCHES IN

DIAMETER

• STAINLESS STEEL DIFFUSER PLATE 12 INCHES DIAMETER

• COARSE GRAVEL (¼ TO ½”) 4 INCHES DEEP

• FINE GRAVEL (PEA) 4 INCHES DEEP

• FINE FILTER SAND (SILT FREE) 40 INCHES DEEP

• CONCRETE COVER 12 INCHES DIAMETER

• PVC 40 DRAINAGE SPOUT (1/2” X 72”)

ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS• (DEFINE THE PROBLEM) OUR GOAL IS TO DEVELOP A WATER FILTRATION

SYSTEM FOR A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY THAT IS SUSTAINABLE USING

LOCAL RESOURCES. THE COUNTRY THAT WAS CHOSEN WAS TIMOR-LESTE

OR EAST TIMOR, INDONESIA.

• (BRAINSTORM, RESEARCH, AND GENERATE IDEAS) – THE NATURAL

RESOURCES, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AND INDUSTRIES THAT WERE

AVAILABLE WERE:

• NATURAL RESOURCES: GOLD, PETROLEUM, NATURAL GAS, MANGANESE,

MARBLE.

• AGRICULTURE PRODUCTS: COFFEE, RICE, CORN, CASSAVA, SWEET POTATOES,

SOYBEANS, CABBAGE, MANGOES, BANANAS, VANILLA.

• INDUSTRIES: PRINTING, SOAP MANUFACTURING, HANDICRAFTS, WOVEN

CLOTH.

BASED ON WHAT WAS AVAILABLE, WE HAVE DETERMINED THAT A BIOLOGICAL

SAND FILTRATION SYSTEM WOULD BE THE MOST ECONOMICAL AND SUSTAINABLE

TO MEET THE NEEDS. WE ALSO LOOKED AT A CLOTH/BOIL METHOD TO ACHIEVE

SAFE POTABLE DRINKING WATER.

ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS• (IDENTIFY CRITERIA/ CONSTRAINTS) – THE CRITERIA DECIDED ON WERE THAT THE RESOLUTION

MUST BE SIMPLE, RELIABLE, SUSTAINABLE AND AFFORDABLE. IT MUST BE EASY TO INSTALL AND

MAINTAIN. THE WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM MUST LEVERAGE LOCAL MATERIALS SUCH AS

GRAVEL AND SAND AND MUST BE ABLE TO FILTER OUT 100% OF THE SEDIMENT AND 98% OF THE

BIOLOGICAL MICRO ORGANISMS TO ENSURE SAFE POTABLE DRINKING WATER.

• (DEVELOP/PROPOSE DESIGNS/CHOOSE AMONG ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS) – THE TWO

SOLUTIONS THAT WE PROPOSED WERE A BIOLOGICAL SAND FILTRATION SYSTEM OR A CLOTH

FILTRATION/BOIL METHOD. THE CLOTH FILTRATION/BOIL METHOD WHILE SIMPLE IN DESIGN AND

LEVERAGED LOCAL MATERIALS (CLOTH, GAS/OIL) WOULD REQUIRE MORE MAINTENANCE AND

SUPERVISION WHILE THE BIOLOGICAL SAND FILTRATION SYSTEM ONCE BUILT ONLY REQUIRES

WATER TO BE DEPOSITED INTO THE TOP AND TIME WOULD ALLOW FOR SAFE POTABLE WATER

WHILE THE DIRTY WATER WORKED ITS WAY THROUGH BIOLOGICAL SAND AND GRAVEL

FILTRATION.

• (IMPLEMENT THE PROPOSED SOLUTION) – A CONCRETE OR PLASTIC CONTAINER 5 FEET TALL

AND 12 INCHES IN DIAMETER IS REQUIRED FOR THE BASE OF THE BIOLOGICAL SAND FILTRATION

SYSTEM. A SPOUT IS INSERTED ONE INCH FROM THE BOTTOM UNDER THE COARSE GRAVEL

AND BROUGHT UP VERTICALLY JUST BELOW THE DIFFUSION PLATE. THE CONTAINER FROM THE

BOTTOM UP CONSISTS OF FOUR INCHES OF COARSE GRAVEL, FOUR INCHES OF FINE GRAVEL,

FORTY INCHES OF SILT FREE SAND, A DIFFUSER PLATE SO THAT THE BIOLOGICAL SAND IS NOT

DISTURBED WHEN POURING DIRTY WATER IN AND A COVER FOR THE CONTAINER SO DEBRIS

AND INSECTS CANNOT GET INTO THE CONTAINER.

ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

• (MAKE A MODEL OR PROTOTYPE) – SEE SLIDE 2 FOR PROTOTYPE DETAILS.

• (EVALUATE THE SOLUTION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES) – THE DESIGNED

SYSTEM HAS A LOWER COST, CONTAINS NO MOVING PARTS, AND IS AS

EFFECTIVE AS OTHER PROPOSED SOLUTIONS.

• (REFINE THE DESIGN) – SEVERAL DESIGN OPTIONS WERE CONSIDERED.

REAL WORLD APPLICATION NEEDED FOR FURTHER REFINEMENT.

• (CREATE THE FINAL DESIGN) – BARRING FURTHER REFINING, THE SYSTEM

IS AS CLOSE TO FINAL AS IT CAN BE.

• (COMMUNICATE THE PROCESSES AND RESULTS) – THE DESIGN PROCESS

ALLOWED A METHODICAL APPROACH TO SOLVING A PROBLEM. WE BELIEVE

THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO GAIN FEEDBACK FROM EAST TIMOR LOCALS

AFTER ONE MONTH TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SOLUTION

THAT MET THE CRITERIA AND THE CONSTRAINTS.

MANUFACTURING LOCATIONSHOUSTON, TEXAS

• POPULATION: 2,160,821

• FEMALE:49.8%

• MALE:50.2%

• AFRICAN AMERICAN: 23.7%

• AMERICAN INDIAN OR ALASKA

NATIVE: 0.7%

• ASAIN: 6.0%

• NATIVE HAWAIIAN OR OTHER PACIFIC

ISLANDER: 0.1%

• TWO OR MORE RACES: 3.3%

• HISPANIC OR LATINO: 43.8%

• WHITE: 25.6%

• UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 5.7%

CLAYTON, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

• POPULATION: 15,543

• FEMALE: 48%

• MALE: 52%

• AUSTRALIA NATIVE: 28.1%

• CHINA: 16.8%

• INDIA: 9.7%

• MALAYSIA: 5%

• GREECE: 3.3%

• INDONESIA: 3.1%

• UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 12.3%

MANUFACTURING LOCATIONSHOUSTON, TEXAS

• EDUCATION LEVELS:

• LESS THAN HIGH SCHOOL 26%

• HIGH SCHOOL 23%

• SOME COLLEGE/ASSOCAITES

DEGREE: 23%

• BACHELOR DEGREE OR HIGHER:

28%

• MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: 44,121

• COST OF LIVING:

• CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: 88.85

• RENT INDEX: 52.62

• GROCERIES INDEX: 88.37

• RESTAURANTS INDEX: 75.43

• CONSUMER PRICE PLUS RENT

INDEX: 71.41

• LOCAL PURCHASING POWER: 114.97

CLAYTON, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

• EDUCATION LEVELS:

• YEAR 12 OR EQUIVALENT: 77.86%

• YEAR 11 OR EQUIVALENT: 4.9%

• YEAR 10 OR EQUIVALENT: 5.52%

• YEAR 9 OR EQUIVALENT: 3.19%

• YEAR 8 OR BELOW: 6.98%

• MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $953.00 PER

WEEK, $49,556.00 A YEAR

• COST OF LIVING:

• CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: 112.68

• RENT INDEX: 59.68

• GROCERIES INDEX: 110.46

• RESTAURANTS INDEX: 97.65

• CONSUMER PRICE PLUS RENT INDEX:

87.16

• LOCAL PURCHASING POWER: 104.37

MANUFACTURING LOCATIONSHOUSTON, TEXAS CLAYTON, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

• OUR COMPANY CHOOSE THE

LOCATION IN CLAYTON,

VICTORIA, 3168, AUSTRAILIA. WE

CHOOSE THIS LOCATION DUE TO

THE CLOSE PROXMITY TO EAST

TIMOR FOR LOWER SHIPPING

COST. THE UNEMPLOYMENT

RATE IS HIGHER THAN

HOUSTON, TX LOCATION. THE

COST OF LIVING IS CLOSE

ALTHOUGH CLAYTON IS A LITTLE

HIGHER THAN HOUSTON.