NGO Another Way (Stichting
Bakens Verzet), 1018 AM
SELF-FINANCING, ECOLOGICAL,
SUSTAINABLE, LOCAL INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FOR THE WORLD’S POOR
FREE E-COURSE FOR DIPLOMA IN |
|||||
Edition 03 : 04 August, 2010
Locally
built Moringa sand filters for water purification
The 13 known
species of Moringa or horseradish trees have interesting properties for use in
integrated development projects. All parts of the trees, which grow quickly in
almost any soil conditions, have useful applications. The specific application
dealt with in this section is water
purification in conjunction with biosand filters. The seed of the Moringa tree,
and of the species Moringa Oleifera in particular, has recognised medicinal properties. Diaphragms made from
crushed Moringa seed fibres, following extraction of the 40% of valuable oil
contained in the seeds, are placed on top of a locally built biosand filter.
Water which has passed through these filters is clean and fit for direct human
consumption. Within the framework of sustainable integrated development
projects under the Model here presented, Moringa biosand filters can be used by
the inhabitants of the project area to filter harvested rainwater as back-up
for their normal clean drinking water supplies.
In emergencies,
Moringa seed milk can be used to purify drinking water where biosand filters are not available.
Some
information on the Moringa (Horseradish) tree.
General information on the
Moringa Oleifera (Horseradish) tree.
Biosand filters.
Information on BioSand filters
(Tear Fund).
Construction of biosand filters.
How to make a Moringa biosand filter.
How
to prepare the Moringa seed paste for
the diaphragm.
Crush the seed kernels to extract
the oil, which can be used for food, for cooking, for soap-making or other
applications. This can be done by hand or mechnically.
The seed cake left is then
mixed with a small quantity of water to form a paste. About 6000mg of ground
moringa seeds should be used with one liter of water for this purpose.
Form a 2cm thick layer of the
paste on top of the biosandfilter materials.
Add water through the diffuser
plate in the biosand filter and agitate/stir regularly thereafter.
The moringa paste should be
stirred once in a day for 5-10 minutes once water is being filtered.
The 2cm paste layer should be
removed (and replaced) at least every
7-14 days. The preferred thickness of 2cm model optimises performance and
checks the likely retardation in water passage (plugging) of the biosand
filter.
It is not necessary to add
proprietary chemicals like chlorine to biosand filters fitted with a 2cm layer
of moringa seed paste. The effective coagulation properties of the moringa
oleifera paste makes post filtration chlorination unnecessary.
How
to prepare Moringa seed milk to purify
drinking water in emergencies.
Allow the moringa seed pods to
dry naturally on the tree before harvesting them.
Remove the moringa seed husks, leaving a whitish kernel.
Crush the seed kernel to a powder with a stone or a mortar.
Mix the powder with a small quantity of clean water in a small cup.
Pour the mixture through a tea strainer or sieve into a cup. It's best to cover
the strainer with a piece of clean cloth.
Add the resulting milky fluid to the water you wish to purify.
Stir quickly for 30 seconds, then slowly and regularly for 5 minutes.
Cover the water and do not disturb it for at least an hour.
The clean water may be siphoned off the top of the container.
For more information on Moringa sand
filters refer to:
The Rural African Water Development Project in Nigeria and the
status of the introduction of the Moringa Sand Filter there.
Back to:
"Money is not the key that opens the gates of the market but the
bolt that bars them."
Gesell, Silvio, The Natural Economic Order, revised English edition,
Peter Owen,
“Poverty is created scarcity”
Wahu Kaara, point 8 of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, 58th
annual NGO Conference, United Nations,
"In the end, it's about love for mankind. Freedom begins with love.
Our challenge is to learn to love the world"
Nigerian writer Ben Okri, interview in Ode Magazine, Dec 2002-Jan 2003,
p.49
This
work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share
Alike 3.0 Licence.