Extending Service Life of Household Water Filters by Mixing Metallic Iron with Sand

The use of metallic iron filters (Fe0 filters) has been discussed as a promising low‐cost option for safe drinking water production at household level. Filter clogging due to the volumetric expansive nature of iron corrosion has been identified as the major problem of Fe0 filters. Mixing Fe0 and sand (yielding Fe0/sand filters) has been proposed as a tool to extent filter service life. However, no systematic discussion rationalizing Fe0/sand mixtures is yet available. This communication theoretically discussed suitable Fe0/sand proportions for efficient filters. Results suggested that Fe0/sand filters should not contain more that 50 vol% Fe0 (25 wt% when Fe0 is mixed with quartz). The actual Fe0 percentage in a filter will depend on its intrinsic reactivity.