Experimental Study of Water Filtering Using Textiles as in Traditional Methods

This paper presents experimental results following a feasibility study into the uses of textiles for water filtration and purification. This project emanated from another project called ‘Aquapol’ [1], sponsored by the EU [2], which looked at reduction of infant diseases by the use of clean filtered water. Due to the high cost and maintenance of manufactured filters used in the Aquapol project, it was decided to look at the traditional methods used locally and try and design a water filter made from simple non expensive materials. Various textile materials have been tested for water filtration particulate dealing with the simulation of traditional materials used in Africa and Asia (Like Shesh in North Africa and Sari in India). Some ‘modern’ materials (like Denim, curtain shower) have also been tested to see if their filtration capability is better or worst than the traditional ones. The results obtained showed that textiles were very efficient in reducing particles size transportation and could be used for filtering and pre-filtering. However, storage conditions and basic hygiene are still the most important factors for disease reduction