What it does
The Jerry Can Water Filter is an easy to use product that helps to decontaminate collected water in developing countries. Its three filters remove chemicals, dirt and 99.99% of bacteria and parasites from the water, resulting in clean and safe drinking water.
Your inspiration
According to the World Health Organization, 780 million people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water. As a result, annually 1.5 million people die from diarrheal diseases, most of which are children under the age of five. After graduating on the subject of water filtration it became my goal to develop a water filter solution that is both user-friendly and affordable. By using abundant and jerry cans, the size and cost of the product is minimized. Therefore, the filter is compact to transport (e.g. to emergency situations), and combined to a jerry can it functions as a tap for household water that is easy to operate and maintain.
How it works
JERRY is compatible with all standard-sized jerry cans and replaces the jerry can lid to function as both a water filter and a tap. The Jerry Can Water Filter is a gravity-based system that does not require any electricity. When the jerry can is placed on its side, water pressure pushes the contaminated water through three separate filters when the tap is opened: The foam pre-filter removes the largest particles such as dirt and sand. Following, the micro-membrane filter removes 99.99% of bacteria and parasites from the water. Thirdly, the activated carbon removes chemicals such as chlorine and improves the water taste. The combination of filters aims to prevent people from getting sick from collected water and should be able to filter over 10.000 litres of water.
Design process
Water and air behaviour is difficult to predict or calculate. Therefore, various prototypes were built from an early stage to test the working principle. In the following months, dozens of design variations have been tested to optimize the product, from shape mock-ups and 3D-printed working prototypes to visual models. One of the key elements in the process was selecting the appropriate micro-membrane filter. Multiple options have been extensively tested on their flow-rate, clogging and long-tem water quality (in combination with a water laboratory) to make a substantiated decision. Water filters need to be cleaned occasionally by flushing water in reverse direction through the filter. To make this an easy and user-friendly operation, several backwash options were explored, including bulbs, pumps, syringes and backwash-valves. Based on user tests and lab results, a bulb was chosen as the most effective solution. By applying a trial-and-error approach with increasingly refined prototypes, the project gradually evolved towards a comprehensive solution to filter contaminated water that fits the needs of the users.
How it is different
What differentiates JERRY from other products is that it is a low-cost, easy to use intervention that can easily be adapted to current water collection infrastructure. It makes use of existing jerry cans that people already possess to create a water filter system. By doing so, JERRY is a compact and affordable solution that can be easily transported to areas of need (e.g. emergency situations). Once connected to a jerry can, the product functions as a tap for household water use. JERRY can provide large quantities of clean drinking water in a safe and simple way that even small children can easily use. Additionally, the individual filter cartridges are replaceable to minimize the environmental impact. Based on cost estimations, the filter can be produced for $3-4, which would make it one of the cheapest water filters currently available
Future plans
The next project step is to create several working prototypes to conduct extensive user testing for a longer period of time in the actual context of use. Based on the feedback, the design can be further optimized to improve the working principle. The Dyson Awards would enable me to further develop this product into a start-up company. I believe that JERRY is a simple, safe and affordable water filter solution that can provide clean drinking water to millions of people worldwide.
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