L2M NSERC - Gravity-driven water filtration system with long-term durability and multi-pollutant removal capacity

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Water pollution is one of the main challenges that threaten human health and hinder economic growth. Poor water sanitation has strong links to elevated risk of gastrointestinal illnesses, skin cancers, and birth defects. These diseases kill over 3 million people every year, with over 40% of whom being children under 5 years old. Across Canada, the issue of drinking water safety is of special concern for remote and Indigenous communities. About 73% of water-supply systems for Indigenous communities are facing contamination risk. This is mainly due to the lack of access to centralized water treatment facilities for these disparate communities. To address this problem, we have been developing a gravity-driven water filtration system (GDWF), which holds great promise for achieving hybrid water disinfection and heavy-metal removal. GDWF integrates physical filtration and chemical adsorption within a general container setting, through the incorporation of a low-cost ceramic water filter (CWF) and packed nanocellulose beads (NB). Both CWF and NB can be made from locally available materials. Compared with commercial microfilters, the developed GDWF has the advantage of stable mechanical stability and long durability. It can be easily cleaned without the need of complicated processes for periodic replacement. It also relies on gravity for water to flow through the CWF/NB processes, such that no electricity is required. In terms of functionalities, GDWF can remove bacteria and heavy-metal ions simultaneously through a two-stage filtration and adsorption process. GDWF provides new insight into a cost-effective filtration/adsorption approach with regeneration ability, multi-pollutant removal capacity, and gravity-driven mechanism. These features make this product substantially suitable for low-income families as well as remote, rural and Indigenous communities where safe drinking water is inaccessible.