Rational design of domestic biosand filters

Research Article| February 01 2010 Rational design of domestic biosand filters Michael Kubare; Michael Kubare 1Department of Civil Engineering Science, University of Johannesburg, P. O. Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Johannes Haarhoff Johannes Haarhoff 1Department of Civil Engineering Science, University of Johannesburg, P. O. Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa Tel.: +27 11 559 2148 Fax: +27 11 559 2395; E-mail: jhaarhoff@uj.ac.za Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology-Aqua (2010) 59 (1): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2010.008 Article history Received: February 17 2009 Accepted: October 10 2009 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Cite Icon Cite Permissions Search Site Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll JournalsThis Journal Search Advanced Search Citation Michael Kubare, Johannes Haarhoff; Rational design of domestic biosand filters. Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology-Aqua 1 February 2010; 59 (1): 1–15. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/aqua.2010.008 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex A biosand filtration (BSF) unit is an intermittently operated slow sand filter designed for household use. This paper reviews the practical application of BSF, identifies the important design considerations and proposes a systematic design procedure. The media properties, water requirements, filter cycle time and water temperature are identified as the most important design input parameters. The resultant specifications are the water dosage volume, water production rate and media bed dimensions. We propose two parameters for characterising the filtration rate, namely the initial and average clean bed filtration rate. Mathematical expressions for these two parameters and the filtration time are derived. Guideline values for the filtration rate and the ratio of the pore volume to the water dosage volume are established and used as design checks. It is noted that the filtration rate is determined solely by the properties of the water temperature and the media—customary constraints posed by the bed area and the bed depth had been eliminated. Therefore the heart of BSF design lies in the careful and appropriate selection of the filter media. The design procedure proposed is illustrated with an example for a typical rural household in Venda, South Africa. biosand filtration, filter media, home treatment, point-of-use treatment, slow sand filtration This content is only available as a PDF.