Waterbackpack PAUL

Target SDGs

Market Suggested Retail Price

$1,730.00

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Community, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Public Sector Agencies, NGOs

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

As of 2020, WaterBackPack PAUL systems have been implemented in 85 countries. In most cases the product has been donated by local or international organizations such as: Welthungerhilfe, Probono, Shanti Leprahilfe and many more. This product is also available at the online market India Mart.

Competitive Landscape

Direct competitors include Grifaid Family Filter, LifeSaver® Jerrycan 20000UF, and LifeStraw Community.

Regions

Africa, Asia, North America, South America

Manufacturing/Building Method

This product is mass-produced in Germany. The vertical flat sheet Ultra Filtration (UF) membranes are manufactured by Martin Membrane Systems AG, Germany; and the assembly is carried out in Kassel Disabled Workshop, Germany.

Intellectural Property Type

Trademark

User Provision Model

Users can either order the product directly from Prof.Dr.-Ing. F.-B. Frechen at the Urban Water Management Department of Kassel University, purchase it from WaterBackpack Company GmbH, or through the online market India Mart.

Distributions to Date Status

3,124 PAUL units have been distributed in over 85 countries, as of January 2020.

Design Specifications

WaterBackPack Paul falls under the category of a small scale water supply system (SSS), as the flow rate is around 1200 L/day. The filter facilitates the treatment of a variety of water types, such as surface water, pond water, stormwater, rainwater, and groundwater. The filtration is done by an ultra-low pressure and ultra-filtration process, integrated with an organic PES membrane. The membrane has a cake layer control and is gravity-driven.

Design specifications:

Weight of 20 kg
Dimensions of the system 0.4 x 1.2 x 0.4 m
Membrane area of 9.5 sq.meters
Membrane pore size of 35 nm

The filtration unit accommodates two ways of filtration:

Bucket filtration
Raw water or source filtration

Product Schematics

Technical Support

There is no technical support provided and users are expected to maintain the product on their own. However, a well-articulated manual is provided as guidance for the installation and use of the product.

Replacement Components

The filter does not require any extra replacement components for operation.

Lifecycle

10 + years

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

This filter was designed to reduce bacteria by 99.999% and virus by 99.99%. Designer specified performance targets include lightweight, durable, portable, free of electricity, chemical-free, and faster in bulk filtration.

Vetted Performance Status

Testing performed by Institut Fresenius and Federal Environment Agency, Dessau/Roßlau determined this product removes 99.999% of bacteria and 99.99% of viruses.

Safety

No known safety hazards are related to this product.

Complementary Technical Systems

Raw Water Storage Tank (SWT), Filtered Water Storage Tank (FWT), Overflow Protection Valve (OPV), Single Valve (SV), water meter and metal frames or concrete blocks for the tank storage are some of the complimentary technical systems used in PAUL unit for smooth operation.

Academic Research and References

Compliance with regulations

PAUL complies with the drinking water standard of WHO 2011 for the microbial test and also complies with SPHERE Handbook (2011) for the minimum standard in water supply regarding the basic survival water need for 3 liters per capita a day (LPCD).

Evaluation methods

This product has been evaluated for bacteria (99.999%) and virus (99.99%) reductions.

Other Information

WaterBackPack PAUL received an Aqua Award in 2017 and a Green Tech Award in 2016.