The Mor-sand Filter

Joachim Ibeziako Ezeji, CEO, Rural Africa Water

Development Project
Kelly Miller, Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo

Context Results How it works:

The Morsand filter blends the coagulation and flocculation properties of powdered Moringa Oleifera Table 3: Physical Analysis of 100ml of Water Sourced from the Unlined Well Before and After
seed with the slow sand filtration process pioneered by the Biosand filter. Treatment with the Mor-sand Filter
Moringa oleifera is the best known of the 13 species The Mor-sand Filter is an improvement on using Moringa directly in household water treatment
belonging to the genus Moringaceae. It is a fast •Mor-sand filter does not entertain any decantation or sieving process
growing, drought-resistant tree that is native to sub- •Re-growth of pathogens are never experienced
Himalayan tracts of Northern India, but is now
distributed worldwide in the tropics and sub-tropics. The Mor-sand Filter is also an improved adaptation of the Bio-sand filter
The press cake obtained as a byproduct of extracting oil Physical component Raw water After treatment •It replaces the Bio-layer existing in the Bio-sand filter with a Moringa paste layer
from Moringa seeds contains a high level of proteins, •Coagulates and inactivates pathogens (bacteria, virus, protozoa etc)
approximately 1% of which are active cationic Temperature (0oC) 30 15 •Eliminates micro-elements like arsenic, iron, hydro-carbons etc.
polyelectrolytes that neutralize negatively charged •Has a strong neutralizing effect on acidic water
Turbidity (Clarity) 10-15 <10 •Water can be consumed right away
colloids in dirty water. This protein can therefore be
used as a non-toxic natural polypeptide for sedimenting •Minimum 17days spent waiting for the Bio-sand’s bio-layer to form
pH 9.6 7.4
mineral particles and organics in the purification of
drinking water; industrial coagulants such as alumina The Bio-sand filter is a customized water pollutant attenuation/mitigation mechanism
can be expensive and toxic, requiring for their proper •It adopts the processes of:
use qualified personnel which are not readily found in PREDATION:
the majority of developing countries. •where microbes are grown on the top of the topmost sand grains to form the Bio-layer, these
The filter can produce about 100litres of pathogen free water (ie water of less than 100 microbes (pathogens) subsequently feed on each other, resulting in their elimination.
bacteria/coliforms per 100ml) per day for drinking and cooking use sufficient for 20 persons for up to ABSORPTION:
18-24 months without any maintenance or operational cost. The components of the filter are made •where pathogens escaping from the bio-layer get into the sand but become firmly attached to
from local materials, with the use of the Moringa Oleifera plant reducing the need for scarce, and the sand grains and can not get further.
often costly, proprietary chemicals. Installed for point-of-use applications, the filter is an innovation in FILTRATION:
affordable domestic water treatment. •where mechanical filtration along the sand beds retard the eventual safe passage of the
pathogens.

Performance Evaluation:
In the Mor-sand filter, inter-bed boundaries are the major attenuation points. In addition to
coagulation, inter and intra-mechanical filtration within the subsisting beds supported by the
absorption process makes the Mor-sand filter an efficient filter for domestic point of use water
supply.

Methods Water Yield:

The protocols used for this evaluation varied. Both the Palintest protocol and Hach Ez Kit were The Mor-sand filter yields an average of 100litres/day of safe drinking water.Its ability for this
employed in the chemical tests while the membrane filtration principle was employed in the microbial performance is the extra finesse and expertise adopted in the sorting of the filtration grains
tests. (beds),such that the specific retention rate of water on the grains of each bed is drastically reduced.

Specific retention rates observed indicates:

Protocols for Palintest Photometer: Gravel =25%
Coarse sand =20%
Principle of PALINTEST photometer: The photometer is used to measure the colour produced in the Fine sand =25%
water sample when specific reagent tablets are added to test a particular chemical parameter. The The result therefore is an increase in the effective porosity/specific yield of the Mor-sand filter.
photometer measures the percentage of transmission of light through a 10 ml sample tube for a In making the Mor-sand filter, we attached great importance on the training of filter technicians
specific wavelength after reaction with one or several reagent tablets. The reference for 100% because of the level of scrutiny we place on the sorting of grains and its proper installation in the
transmittance is given by a blank tube of water sample without any reagent added. The transmittance filter.
reading of the sample tube gives an indication of the concentration of the chemical parameter. For
each parameter, a calibration chart provides the concentration corresponding to the transmittance
reading.

Implementation

Percentage of transmission for the parameter = (I2 / I1) x 100 Photometer 7000

Protocols for Hach Ez Kit:

Principle of HACH EZ Arsenic test kit: Arsenic present in a 50 ml water sample is converted into
gas by the reagents added (Zinc and Sulphamic acid). The Arsenic accumulates in the headspace
above the solution and turns the colour of the reaction zone of a test strip that is set at the top of the
Erlenmeyer. Arsenic is trapped further above by another strip set to prevent gas from escaping.

Mass Construction Demonstrations Installation

In Uboma, Nigeria, a pilot project has been underway since 2002 in which 183 Mor-sand filters have
been installed outside of homes.
RAWDP’s long term commitment and target is to formally transit from the Uboma pilot project to an
up- scaled adoption of one million filters,which will see a sustained adoption and use in every rural
household in the entire state.
These 1 million households basically include critical areas with similar water scarcity problems, but
the scaling up of the Mor-sand filter is possible anywhere.
Table 4: Microbial Analysis of 100ml of Raw Water Pre- Treatment and Post- Treatment: Currently, the expanding Mor-sand filter networks in Uboma and the entire old Okigwe province
including Ihitte, Obowo, Mbaise, Umuahia, Mbano, Owerri,Orlu and Okigwe speak volumes.The
*Indicator Number of colony Number of colony Number of colony Number of colony
Membrane Filtration Procedures Organism forming units (cfu)
in original water
forming units (cfu)
observed after
forming units (cfu)
observed after
forming units
observed 24 hours
expansion of this network is introducing these filter in many more communities and households
enable local people to optimize water extracted many sources.

Table 1: Thermotolerant coliform membrane specifications. sample. 24hours in water 24hours in water after treatment
sample treated sample filtered with Mor-Sand
with Moringa with Bio-Sand Filter.
MEMBRANE FILTRATION powder. Filter.
Membrane type(blue)
Feeding mediumMembrane Lauryl Sulphate Broth (MLSB)
Red liquid stored in sterile bottle – pour 2 ml (using a sterile syringe) on a sterile
pad set in the Petri dish Thermo-tolerant Too numerous to 10 5 0
Coliform (E.coli) count (TNTC)
Incubation4 hours at room temperature (resuscitation), then
14 hours at 44.5°C
IdentificationYellow colonies
CONFIRMATION
Faecal Coliform. 145 0 4 0
Funding
Confirmation-Prepare an universal bottle containing sterile Brilliant Green Broth Media The total of all costs involved in the project so far is USD 35,000.
protocol(BGBM) and an inverted Durham tube (label it)
-Prepare an universal bottle containing sterile Tryptone Water (TW) *Please note that the acceptable drinking water range for these indicators often ranges from 0-10cfu. The unit cost of a filter is approximately USD35.00.
-Open the positive plate containing incubated bacteria However the use of these indicator organisms ( WHO, 2003) is limited because they are not reliable
for protozoan pathogens. RAWDP used part of a grant of USD 40,000 donated by African Development Bank (AFDB) in
-Using a sterile microbiological loop, remove a part of a colony and insert it into
September 2004 to facilitate the project. The Uboma Women Association also enriched the project
the BGBM bottle (flame the neck when opening it) Water quality degeneration was not observed to occur with the Mor-Sand Filter. purse by mobilizing resources through innovative fundraising strategies like “Bob-ajob”. Aside
-Using another sterile microbiological loop, remove another part of the same
colony and insert it the TW bottle (flame the neck when opening it) providing free labour, the women also motivated the men to actively provide quality labour and time.
-Incubate the 2 bottles for 24 hours at 44.5°C RAWDP saved money by volunteering freely its expertise and trained community selected trainees.
-Positive reaction for BGBM if a bubble gas is visible in the inverted Durham tube These trainees all had scholarships. None of the participating NGOs earned an income or wage for
(production of gas by faecal bacteria) => faecal origin confirmed her participation. Above all, all the materials (over 95%) used in the project was locally sourced.
-Positive reaction for TW if a red colouration is produced in top organic layer of
the medium when adding 6-7 drops of Kovacs reagent into the bottle => E.Coli Apart from the costs of the metallic molds which RAWDP paid in full because RAWDP contracted a
confirmed (if BGBM test is positive) Table 5: Chemical Analysis of 100mgl-1 of raw water pre- and post treatment (mgl-1 ): welder who fabricated it, every other item on the project budget was internally handled.

Chemical component Raw water Treated water

Sulphate >300 20
Fluoride >10 1.8
Table 2:Faecal Streptococci. Iron 5.0 0
MEMBRANE FILTRATION Chloride Negligible Negligible

References
Membrane type(white) Manganese 10 <10

Feeding mediumSlanetz and Bartley agar (SB) Arsenic 5 0.10

SB forming a solidified layer at the base of the plate (no need for pad) Total dissolved solids 10,000 < 10 WHO, 2004, Guidelines for Drinking water Quality
Incubation48 hours at 44.5°C Nitrates 15 0 http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/gdwq3/en/

IdentificationRed colonies Sodium 200 <1.0 http://www.cawst.org/technology/water treatment/filtration-biosand.php.

CONFIRMATION Potassium 10 5.6 http://biosandfilter.org/biosandfilter/
Confirmation-Prepare a plate containing a solidified layer of Kanamycin Esculin Azide agar Calcium 100 42.8
protocol(inhibiting medium for bacteria except for Faecal Streptococci) Brassington, R.(1998)Field Hydrogeology.Wiley:Chichester,Uk
-Open the positive plate containing incubated bacteria Magnesium 45 10
-Using a sterile forceps, transfer the membrane to the Kanamycin plate http://www.lboro.ac.uk/well/resources/technical-briefs/60-water-clarification-using-moringa-oleifera-seeds.pdf
Carbonate 20 10  
-Incubate for 2 hours at 44°C
Ammonia Not established Not established http://www.treesforlife.org/project/moringa/uses/uses_water_lgscale_abstract.en.asp
-Positive reaction for red colonies that have turned olive green/black => faecal  
origin confirmed Chlorine 5 5 http://info.lut.ac.uk/departments/cv/wedc/garnet/wares.html.