Composition of Clay Filters for Water Treatment in Akutuase: A Rural Community in Western Region, Ghana

The purpose of this study was to compose clay filters made from local materials for the efficiency of water impurities removal for rural households. Clay filters were manufactured by using local materials: Akutuase clay, sawdust gathered from a sawmill unit, and rice husks from rice farmers at Akutuase. These materials were ground and sieved to obtain finer particle sizes, weighed, and proportionally wet mixed. Pots were then made, dried, and fired in a kiln at temperatures of 850, 900, and 950ºC, respectively. A silver coating was artificially applied to the fired filters using 0.1 mg/L of silver solution. Raw water fetched from a stream in Akutuase was filtered using the pots. The filtered water was tested for microbial removal efficiency of the composed clay filters at Ghana Water Company, Takoradi. It was revealed that compositions C₃80 and C₄80 made up of 80% clay, 15% rice husks and 5% sawdust that were fired at 900 and 950ºC respectively, became successful and suitable for water filtration. However, it was highly successful when the temperature was 950ºC due to comparatively the greater quantity of water that C₄80 was able to filter. The results suggested that the silver-impregnated ceramic filter constructed was highly efficient and effective in the removal of bacteria. It had been recommended among others that, as a measure to prevent water-borne diseases in Akuatuase, institutions should invest in setting up small scale ceramic industry in the community for mass-production of clay filters to serve the rural folks. Further studies should be extended to analyze the removal of other pathogens including viruses and protozoa for different water-quality conditions. Additionally, the long-term field performance of locally produced filters and their effects on human health must be investigated.