AquaFilter Family

Product Description

The AquaFilter Family is a portable water filter that unit can provide 1 liter of water per minute and half a million litres of clean drinking water throughout its working lifetime. The AquaFilter Family is attached to a water container and the provided handpump forces water through the filter membrane and into the users container.

Target SDGs

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

Market Suggested Retail Price

$50.00

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Household

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

Aquabox distributes its AquaFilter Family via distribution partners working in the targeted areas Partners include CART (Christian Africa Relief Trust), Hand in Hand for Syria, Muslim Aid and Rotary District 3810, Philippines.

Competitive Landscape

Direct competitors include Sawyer POINTOne 10” Filter, CycloClean, and LifeStraw Family 1.0.

Manufacturing/Building Method

The components are mass manufactured and then sent to AquaBox where they are assembled and package by volunteers.

Intellectural Property Type

Trademark

User Provision Model

Units are distributed in boxes of 12 called Aqua12s. AquaBox directly ships the filters to distribution partners and the partners distribute to the end-users.

Distributions to Date Status

12,500+ Aquabox Gold units and 3,000+ family filters have been distributed since August of 2013.

Target use case

Individual use, household use

Manufacturer-specified flow rate (L/hr)

90 L/hr

Bacteria reduction

7 log

Type of membrane filtration

Microfiltrarion

Virus reduction

5 log

Protozoa reduction

Unknown

Heavy metals and/or arsenic reduction

Unknown

Maximum recommended influent turbidity level (NTU)

Unknown

Effluent turbidity levels (NTU)

0.02 NTU

Material of construction

Plastic

Safe water storage capacity (L)

Depends on size of the container it is fastened to.

Manufacturer-specified lifetime volume (L)

Half a million litres of clean drinking water over its working life.

Design Specifications

An AquaFilter Family uses a 120 micron mesh to filter drinking water. Water is collected in a bucket with the Aquafilter submerged. A hand pump forces the water through the membrane and into clean water storage container.

Product Schematics

Technical Support

Online support provided by Aquabox. The need for maintenance is minimized in the design but still requires skilled attention. Periodic maintenance includes greasing the pump seal, for which a suitable grease store is built-in; replacing the pump seal, for which spare seals are already attached to the piston rod; and chemical washing, for which a pot of tablets is attached.

Replacement Components

Unknown

Lifecycle

For a family of five, the AquaFilter Family provides potable water for over a year (by providing a minimum of 18,000 L). Lifecycle is 4+ years including a 1 year warranty.

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

The AquaFamily will deliver at least 500,000 L over its lifetime.

Vetted Performance Status

The AquaFamily has been tested in multiple labs and meets standards of performance for multiple authorities. The AquaFamily has been monitored and functional for over four years in a specific site in the Gambia. The filter was tested to evaluate cleaning procedures and the filter saw a 100% recovery rate in flow rate for mud and a 80 recovery for live yeast test.

Safety

Filter does not remove dissolved materials such as salt or arsenic. Filtration membranes can be damaged by excessive heat. If clean water is coming out of the filter cloudy then that is a sign that the membrane is damaged.

Complementary Technical Systems

Safe water storage

Academic Research and References

Racki, N., et al., 2015, Methacrylate monolith chromatography as a tool for waterborne virus removal., Journal of Chromatography, Vol. 1381, pp. 118-124.

This study utilized the AquaFilter Family as a baseline comparison.

“Where we help,” Aquabox, 10-May-2023. Available: https://aquabox.org/where-weve-helped/

“Our partners,” Aquabox, 10-May-2023. Available: https://aquabox.org/who-we-are/our-partners/

CAWST, “Grifaid Family Filter,” Grifaid Family Filter. Available: https://www.hwts.info/products-technologies/c2a268e8/grifaid-family-filter/technical-information

CAWST, “Product: Grifaid Family Filter,” Product: Grifaid Family Filter | Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage Knowledge Base. Available: https://www.hwts.info/products-technologies/c2a268e8/grifaid-family-filter

“SP129 – Sawyer Point One Squeeze Water Filter System with Two 1L Pouches,” Sawyer Direct. Available: https://sawyerdirect.net/products/sp129-sawyer-point-one-squeeze-water-filter-system-with-two-1l-pouches

“Goal 6,” Sdgs.un.org. Available: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal6

“Our partners,” Aquabox, 10-May-2023. Available: https://aquabox.org/who-we-are/our-partners/

“Our depot,” Aquabox, 10-May-2023. Available: https://aquabox.org/who-we-are/our-depot/

“Aquabox – Clean Water in a Crisis,” Aquabox, 10-May-2023. Available: https://aquabox.org/

“Water filters,” Aquabox, 10-May-2023. Available: https://aquabox.org/what-we-do/water-filters/

Techxlab.org. Available: https://images.techxlab.org/ast/564-grifaid-data-sheets-and-instructions.pdf

Compliance with regulations

The AquaFilter Family meets the EPA-US National Primary Drinking Water Regulations.

Evaluation methods

The AquaFilter Family was laboratory tested for the removal of viruses and to ensure compliance with EPA regulations.

Other Information