Water Filtration Units Research Articles

Urinary and household chemical exposures in pet dogs with urothelial cell carcinoma.

Urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) has been linked to environmental chemical exposures in people, but these risk factors are not well understood in dogs with UCC. We hypothesised that household chemical exposures contribute to the risk of UCC in pet dogs. This prospective cross-sectional case-control study included 37 dogs with UCC and 37 unaffected breed-, sex-, and age-matched controls. Dog owners completed an environmental questionnaire and household samples were collected and analysed for arsenic (in tap water and room dust) and acrolein (in room air). Urine samples from UCC dogs, control dogs, and consenting owners were analysed for inorganic arsenic species, the acrolein metabolite 3-HPMA, and the phenoxy herbicide 2,4-D. Public data on chlorination byproducts (total trihalomethanes) in municipal drinking water were also compared between case and control households. Dogs with UCC were more likely to swim in a pool (15.2%) compared with control dogs (0%) (OR 1.69, 95% CI = 1.69-∞; p = .02). Dogs with UCC also had more than 4-fold higher reported municipal water concentrations of chlorination byproducts (median 28.0 ppb) compared with controls (median 6.9 ppb; p < .0001). Dust arsenic concentrations were unexpectedly lower in case households (median 0.277 ng/cm2) compared with control households (median 0.401 ng/cm2; p = .0002). Other outcomes were not significantly different between groups. These data suggest that dog owners, especially those of breeds known to be at higher risk for UCC, consider limiting access to swimming pools and installing water filtration units that remove total trihalomethanes.

The Effects of Intake Water Quality and Filtration Unit Performance on the Efficiency of the Al- Rasheed Water Treatment Plant in Baghdad, Iraq

The Effects of Intake Water Quality and Filtration Unit Performance on the Efficiency of the Al- Rasheed Water Treatment Plant in Baghdad, Iraq

Drinking water services in the primary schools: evidence from coastal areas in Bangladesh

Salinity intrusion both in surface and groundwater caused a crisis for safe drinking water in coastal Bangladesh. The situation is even worse for children especially at school. However, information on water services in coastal schools is limited. Here we assess the quality of drinking water and supply infrastructures in the primary schools of a severely saline affected coastal area of Bangladesh. To fulfill the objective, thirty-eight schools were purposively selected and investigated in Dacope Upazila of Khulna district in Bangladesh. Findings revealed that harvested rainwater (63%) and pond (21%) are the major drinking water sources where countries’ leading water supply technology, tube well (16%) were the least used option. Moreover, salinity in all the tube wells exceeded the national standard. DO, pH, NO3, SO4 and PO4 concentration of all options satisfied national standards. However, total coliform counts exceeded the national standard. More than half of the samples had a low to high risk of indicator bacteria which is a major public health concern. Although 29% schools have installed portable water filtration units, those are grossly inaccessible for the students. Hence, students are reportedly consuming unsafe drinking water, and thus are vulnerable to water-borne diseases. The lack of resources and poorly designed infrastructure are the principal challenges to the safe drinking water supply. Therefore, disinfection at the point of use along with proper maintenance of the water infrastructure is urgent needs to safeguard potable water services in the primary schools of coastal Bangladesh.

Polymer/2D-NMs-Composite Photocatalysts Fast Growing Market for POU Water Filtration Units

Polymer/2D-NMs-Composite Photocatalysts Fast Growing Market for POU Water Filtration Units

Risk of bladder cancer and lymphoma in dogs is associated with pollution indices by county of residence.

Human urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma are considered environmental cancers in people, but less is known about environment risk for UCC and lymphoma in dogs. The objective of this study was to determine whether dogs with these cancers, compared to unaffected control dogs, live in counties with higher tap water contaminants or higher levels of air pollution as measured by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and by National Air Toxics Assessment chemical exposure risk estimates. Dogs with available home addresses from two previously published case-control populations were included: 66 dogs with UCC and 70 unaffected controls; and 56 boxer dogs with lymphoma and 84 unaffected boxer controls. Tap water total trihalomethanes, which are water disinfection by-products, were more than threefold higher in UCC case counties of residence compared to controls (p < .0001), and a higher proportion of dogs with UCC lived in counties exceeding EPA ozone limits (41.8%) compared to controls (13.6% p=.0008). More boxers with lymphoma lived in counties exceeding EPA ozone limits (52.1%) compared to controls (29.0%; p=.018), with higher exposure risk estimates for airborne 1,3-butadiene and formaldehyde (p=.004-.005). These data support the hypothesis that tap water contaminants and airborne environmental pollutants contribute to the risk of both urothelial carcinoma and lymphoma in dogs. If these findings reflect causal relationships, then it is possible that tap water filtration units and more effective air pollution controls could decrease the overall incidence of these cancers in dogs.

Application of modified managed aquifer recharge model for groundwater management in drought-prone water-stressed Barind Tract, Bangladesh

The core challenge of Barind Tract (BT), located in the northwest region of Bangladesh, is to make water available for agricultural, drinking, domestic, and other uses and ultimately for the survival of flora and fauna. Over extraction of groundwater for irrigation, less rainfall, fewer sources of surface water, high temperature, and thick top clay that limits the natural recharge are the major causes of continuous depletion of groundwater level (GWL) in the BT, which demands managed aquifer recharge (MAR) technique as the modified form matching with the lithology as well as the aquifer condition of the area. So, the study aimed to design, construct a recharge well (RW) and a water filtration unit as a specific MAR method to evaluate their performance for groundwater recharging through rooftop rainwater harvesting in the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) Mohanpur office campus, Rajshahi under the BT region. In this view, necessary data and information like rainfall, GWL, lithology, and other information related to the study were collected from the BMDA Mohanpur office and field investigation. Lithological samples of the Mohanpur office campus were collected through drilling arrangement, and grain sizes of the aquifer samples were analyzed in the laboratory, then designed the RW and installed at the BMDA Mohanpur office campus accordingly. A water filtration unit was designed considering the average maximum daily rainfall. Rooftop rain waters were collected from the office building and a training shed near the uPVC pipeline, filtered through the sand-gravel filtration media of the filtration unit, and finally recharged to the groundwater through RW. GWL fluctuation of the observation well (OW) installed near the RW was monitored using Auto Water Level Recorder (AWLR). Performances were evaluated based on groundwater recharge, GWL fluctuation with the rainfall, and quality of water. The study found that groundwater recharging occurred significantly, groundwater level rose when rainwater was infiltrated into the groundwater, and water quality parameters remained within the acceptable limit for drinking use according to standards like Bangladesh Drinking Water Standard (2005) and WHO (2008).

Lateral flow device for water fecal pollution assessment: from troubleshooting of its microfluidics using bioluminescence to colorimetric monitoring of generic Escherichia coli.

Water is the most important ingredient of life. Water fecal pollution threatens water quality worldwide and has direct detrimental effects on human health and the global economy. Nowadays, assessment of water fecal pollution relies on time-consuming techniques that often require well-trained personnel and highly-equipped laboratories. Therefore, faster, cheaper, and easily-used systems are needed to in situ monitor water fecal pollution. Herein, we have developed colorimetric lateral flow strips (LFS) able to detect and quantify Escherichia coli species in tap, river, and sewage water samples as an indicator of fecal pollution. The combination of LFS with a simple water filtration unit and a commercially available colorimetric reader enhanced the assay sensitivity and enabled more accurate quantification of bacteria concentration down to 104 CFU mL-1 in 10 minutes, yielding recovery percentages between 80% and 90% for all water samples analyzed. Overall, this system allows for monitoring and assessing water quality based on E. coli species as a standard microbiological indicator of fecal pollution. Furthermore, we have developed a novel bioluminescent, bacteria-based method to quickly characterize the performance of a great variety of LFS materials. This new method allows evaluating the flow rate of big analytes such as bacteria through the LFS materials, as a suggestive means for selecting the appropriate materials for fabricating LFS targeting big analytes (≈2 μm). As a whole, the proposed approach can accelerate and reduce the costs of water quality monitoring and pave the way for further improvement of fecal pollution detection systems.

Drinking Water Quality and Options for the Primary Schools of a Salinity Affected Coastal Area of Bangladesh

Salinity intrusion caused a serious crisis for safe drinking water in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. The situation is even worse for children especially at school. However, information on water services in coastal schools are limited. Here we assess the quality of drinking water and supply infrastructures in the primary schools of a severely saline affected coastal area of Bangladesh. To fulfill the objective, thirty-eight schools were purposively selected and investigated in Dacope Upazila of Khulna district in Bangladesh. Findings revealed that, harvested rainwater (63%), pond (21%) and tube wells (16%) are the only drinking water sources. DO, pH, NO3, SO4 and PO4 concentration of the drinking water satisfied the quality standard. In contrast, total coliform counts exceeded the national standard. Harvested rainwater and pond showed more susceptibility to microbial contaminations as compared that of tube wells which have high salt content. Although 29% schools have installed portable water filtration unit, those are grossly inaccessible for the students. Therefore, students are reportedly consuming unsafe drinking water, and thus are vulnerable to water-borne diseases. The lack of resources and poorly designed infrastructure are the principal challenges of safe drinking water supply at primary schools of coastal Bangladesh.

Mining Rock Wastes for Water Treatment: Potential Reuse of Fe- and Mn-Rich Materials for Arsenic Removal

The worldwide mining industry produces millions of tons of rock wastes, raising a considerable burden for managing both economic and environmental issues. The possible reuse of Fe/Mn-rich materials for arsenic removal in water filtration units, along with rock properties, was evaluated. By characterizing and testing 47 samples collected from the Joda West Iron and Manganese Mine in India, we found As removal up to 50.1% at 1 mg/L initial As concentration, with a corresponding adsorption capacity of 0.01–0.46 mgAs/g mining waste. The As removal potential was strictly related to spectral, mineralogical, and elemental composition of rock wastes. Unlike rock crystallinity due to quartz and muscovite, the presence of hematite, goethite, and kaolinite, in association with the amorphous fractions of Fe and Al, enhanced the As adsorption. The natural content of arsenic indicated itself the presence of active sorptive sites. The co-occurrence of site-specific competitors (i.e., phosphate) represented a consequent limitation, whereas the content of Ce, Cu, La, and Pb contributed positively to the As adsorption. Finally, we proposed a simplified multiple linear model as predictive tool to select promising rock wastes suitable for As removal by water filtration in similar mining environments: As predicted = 0.241 + 0.00929[As] + 0.000424[La] + 0.000139[Pb] − 0.00022[P].

Evaluating the efficacy of point-of-use water filtration units in Fiji

BackgroundTo develop and evaluate a strategy for reducing the prevalence and impact of waterborne disease, a water quality intervention was developed for Fiji by Give Clean Water, Inc. in partnership with the Fiji Ministry of Health. Residents were provided and trained on how to use a Sawyer® PointONE™ filter, while also being taught proper handwashing techniques. At the time of the filter installation, all households were surveyed inquiring about the prior 2- to 4-week period. Households were measured a second time between 19 and 225 days later (mean = 66 days).ResultsTo date, five economic and health outcomes have been tracked on 503 households to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. When comparing baseline to follow-up among the 503 households, the 2-week diarrhea prevalence decreased in households from 17.5% at baseline to 1.8% at follow-up. Also, the 2-week prevalence of severe diarrhea decreased per household from 9.7% at baseline to 0.6% at follow-up. Finally, monthly diarrhea-related medical costs reduced by an average of Fijian (FJ) $3.54 per person, and monthly water expenses reduced by FJ $0.63 per person. All estimated values are obtained from general linear and logistic mixed-effect models, which adjusted for location, season, time to follow-up, household size, water source, and respondent changing. Changes in economic and health outcomes from installation to follow-up were statistically significant (p < 0.05) in all cases, in both unadjusted and adjusted models.ConclusionsThe installation of water filters shows promise for the reduction of diarrhea prevalence in Fiji, as well as the reduction of diarrhea-related medical costs and water expenses. Future work entails evaluation in other countries and contexts, long-term health monitoring, and comparison to alternative water quality interventions.

Performance Analysis of Water Filtration Units for Reduction of pH, Turbidity, Solids and Electricity Conductivity

Performance Analysis of Water Filtration Units for Reduction of pH, Turbidity, Solids and Electricity Conductivity

Performance Analysis of Water Filtration Units for Reduction of pH, Turbidity, Solids and Electricity Conductivity

The main objective of this study was to analyze the performance of different filtration units that reduce turbidity, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS) and electrical conductivity (EC) of canal water. For that, three different types of filtration units, namely, slow sand, rapid sand and dual media were fabricated. Typical parameters of canal and filtered water, like pH, turbidity, TDS and EC were examined, and then the filtered water quality was compared with World Health Organizations (WHO) standards. Maximum pH reduction was noted with dual media and less by the rapid system, while more turbidity was reduced with the slow sand and less with the dual media filtration system. In contrary to the pH and turbidity results, increment in both TDS and EC values were noted in filtered samples compared to that of raw water samples due to the transfer of dissolved minerals present in the sand into the filtered water during the contact period with media in the bed. However, all examined parameters of filtered water were within WHO standards.

Application of design for six sigma methodology on portable water filter that uses membrane filtration system: A preliminary study

Portable water filter has grown significantly in recent years. The use of water bottles as a water drink stuff using hand pump water filtration unit has been suggested to replace water bottled during outdoor recreational activities and for emergency supplies. However, quality of water still the issue related to contaminated water due to the residual waste plants, bacteria, and so on. Based on these issues, the study was carried out to design a portable water filter that uses membrane filtration system by applying Design for Six Sigma. Design for Six Sigma methodology consists of five stages which is Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify. There were several tools have been used in each stage in order to come out with a specific objective. In the Define stage, questionnaire approach was used to identify the needs of portable water filter in the future from potential users. Next, Quality Function Deployment (QFD) tool was used in the Measure stage to measure the users’ needs into engineering characteristics. Based on the information in the Measure stage, morphological chart and weighted decision matrix tools were used in the Analyze stage. This stage performed several activities including concept generation and selection. Once the selection of the final concept completed, detail drawing was made in the Design stage. Then, prototype was developed in the Verify stage to conduct proof-of-concept testing. The results that obtained from each stage have been reported in this paper. From this study, it can be concluded that the application of Design for Six Sigma in designing a future portable water filter that uses membrane filtration system is a good start in looking for a new alternative concept with a completed supporting document.

THE INTEGRATION OF FISH AND PLANT PRODUCTION: NILE TILAPIA (Oreochromis niloticus) AND BASIL (Ocimum basilicum) CULTURE IN RECIRCULATING AND AQUAPONIC SYSTEMS

In the present study, tilapia and basil production was performed in an aquaponic system developed with the integration of fish and plant production in the same culture environment. The variation of elements in the water was monitored and their effects on fish growth performance and feed utilization together with the plant growth were recorded. Triplicate groups of fish tanks were used in two different culture systems (recirculating-RS and aquaponic system-AS). The RS consisted of a water filtration unit whereas the AS was set with the incorporation of basil ( Ocimum basilicum ) production with the roots in water instead of soil, absorbing the discharge water from fish tanks through their roots. Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) with an initial mean weight of 5.65 g were introduced into both RS and AS systems and fed a commercial diet (50% protein) for a period of 75 days. At the same time basil was set into the AS with roots in water, a photoperiod of 12:12 dark:light regime was applied for the monitoring of plant growth. Water physico-chemical parameters were recorded in both culture environments throughout the study period. Based on the findings in both culture systems, at the end of the experiment, it was found that the variations of amonium (NH 4 ), nitrite (NO 2 ) and nitrate (NO 3 ) recorded in the AS were lower then those measured in the RS culture unit.

Reactive Extrusion Strategies to Fabricate Magnetite–Polyethylene Nanocomposites with Enhanced Mechanical and Magnetic Hyperthermia Properties

Biofouling is a major problem in water filtration units, which leads to premature system failure. Conventional treatment methods involving the use of chemicals or high‐pressure hydraulics exert mechanical strain on filter materials, leading to shortened service lifetimes. In this study, a novel magnetic polymer nanocomposite is fabricated using a blend of high density/ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene with magnetite nanoparticle (MNP) fillers. The resulting magnetite–polyethylene nanocomposite (MPE‐NC) is mechanically robust and can be externally actuated with an alternating magnetic field to generate localized heating that is effective in eradicating bacterial biofilms. The MNPs are functionalized with silane‐based coupling agents and crosslinked onto the polyethylene backbone via a reactive extrusion approach, which results in a twofold enhancement in mechanical properties of the polymer matrix. Furthermore, the magnetic hyperthermia performance of the MPE‐NC is improved eightfold by replacing undoped magnetite nanospheres with zinc‐doped magnetite nanocube fillers, and the magnetic hyperthermia treatment approach is shown to be 12 times more effective in destroying bacterial biofilms compared to a direct heat‐treatment method. During hyperthermia treatment, the mechanical integrity of the MPE‐NC is preserved, thereby validating the potential of the MPE‐NC as a new filter material with high efficiency in biofilm removal and extended durability.image

Hierarchical oil–water separation membrane using carbon fabrics decorated with carbon nanotubes

Abstract The study adopts an efficient spin-coating method to disperse fluorinated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) onto carbon fabrics (CFs) as hierarchical oil–water separation membrane. The topography observation indicates that multi-walled CNTs with an average diameter of 30–50 nm are coated over the CF surface, forming a nano/submicron scaled roughness. The CNT–CF membrane exhibits superhydrophobic behavior (water contact angle: 165°), low wetted surface fraction (5.5%), and low work of adhesion ( W ad : 2.5 mJ/m 2 ). The oil–water separation efficiency of CNT–CF membrane can reach to 99.7%, better than the CF membrane without the CNT decoration. The robust design of CNT–CF membranes enhances not only the oil–water separation efficiency but also the permeability. The enhanced efficiency can be ascribed to the fact that the decoration of fluorinated CNTs is capable of lowering roll-off kinetic energy barrier, proved by the oil–water separation mechanism. Accordingly, the difference of W ad values between oil and water droplets can be taken into account as a crucial index for evaluating the separation efficiency, favoring the development of oil–water separators and filtration units in the future.

Development and Application of a Pond Water Filtration Unit Using a Simple Ceramic Filter in a Rural Area of Bangladesh

Development and Application of a Pond Water Filtration Unit Using a Simple Ceramic Filter in a Rural Area of Bangladesh

Evaluating efficacy of a ballast water filtration system for reducing spread of aquatic species in freshwater ecosystems

Biological invasions by non-indigenous species are considered a leading threat to biodiversity, with prevention being a key management strategy. Consequently, numerous commercial ballast water treatment systems have been, or are being, developed to prevent future aquatic invasions. However, most treatment systems are being designed for the many vessels undertaking long transoceanic voyages in marine waters rather than the relatively few vessels operating on short voyages in freshwater, such as those in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Here we conduct testing of the biological efficacy of a 40 µm ballast water filtration unit through shipboard trials. We test the hypotheses that i) filtration will significantly reduce abundance of zooplankton greater than 50 µm in size but not phytoplankton 10 to 50 µm in size; ii) filtration will reduce zooplankton abundances in ballast water below International Maritime Organization discharge standards, but not those of phytoplankton; and iii) filtration will alter the community composition of zooplankton, non-randomly reducing invasion risk of larger taxa. During the summer of 2012, three shipboard trials were conducted. Ballast water samples were collected using a before-after experimental design. Our study showed that filtration significantly reduced abundance of copepods and cladocerans, but not of juvenile dreissenid veligers and rotifers. Contrary to our expectation, phytoplankton densities were also significantly lower after the treatment. Overall, ballast water treated during our tests would not meet proposed international discharge standards. Filtration altered relative abundance of zooplankton, but did not reduce introduction risk of any taxonomic group due to the small juvenile stages and dormant eggs which passed through the treatment. While we do not rule out filtration as a ballast water treatment option for zooplankton in the future, our tests indicate further development is required for meaningful reduction of invasion risk.

Dispatches

Dispatches

Acanthamoeba contamination of hemodialysis and dental units in Alexandria, Egypt: A neglected potential source of infection

Ubiquitous free-living amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba can be pathogenic and can serve as carriers of other pathogenic organisms. These amoebae are potentially dangerous when they contaminate health facilities, and these organisms may act as a source of infection for medical personnel and those seeking medical care. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the extent to which Acanthamoeba species contaminate hemodialysis and dental units in Alexandria, Egypt. Seventy samples were collected aseptically from these systems and cultivated on non-nutrient agar at room temperature, followed by morphological confirmation of the identity of Acanthamoeba using trichrome-stained smears. This study revealed that 42.9% of water samples from the hydraulic systems of both hemodialysis and dental units were positive for Acanthamoeba, with no statistically significant difference between the two unit types or between pre- and post-disinfection samples for each type of unit. The surgical category of dental clinics had the highest contamination rate (72.7%), whereas no contamination was observed for water samples from pediatric dentistry clinics. In conclusion, the hydraulic systems of hemodialysis and dental units in Alexandria are contaminated with Acanthamoeba species, and to minimize the risk of human infections, there is an urgent need to implement effective preventative measures, such as the installation of water filtration units.