INITIAL DESIGN

Group Name:
The Clean Agents
Group:
Amina, Lily, Hailey, Delilah
Group Roles:
Amina: Drafting President/ Engineer
Hailey: Drafting Vice President/ Engineer
Lily: Head Engineer/ back up Drafter
Delilah: Vice President Engineer/ drafter

Kenya Profile
(Kenya Profile, Water.org, 2013.

http://water.org/country/kenya)

main issue is lack of access to clean water sources

fecal coliforms (e coli)
dirt and cloudy water because of shallow holes in ground
What have people already tried as solutions?

 rainwater harvesting tanks, water connections, shallow wells, pumps, VIP

latrines, septic tanks, and biogas toilets
What is the area like physically?
near Nairobi, capital of Kenya
climate: semi-arid, deserts and grassland
severe droughts as a result of deforestation and climate changes drinking water
has become very limited
Extra Research:
Unlike the other conventional water quality parameters, fecal coliform bacteria
are living organisms. They multiply quickly when conditions are favorable for
growth and die in large numbers when they are not. Because bacterial
concentrations are dependent upon specific conditions for growth and these
conditions change quickly, fecal coliform bacteria counts are not easy to predict.
For example, although winter rains may wash more fecal matter from urban
areas into a lake, cool water temperatures may cause many of the organisms to
die. Direct exposure to sunlight is also lethal to bacteria, so die off may be high
even in the warmer water of summertime. - Department of Ecology: Chapter 2,
Lakes
Kajiado Central District, Kenya
What is contaminating the water?

Ceramic Water Filtration

The Ceramic Water Filtration Project is a way to purify water in a safe, affordable way.
Using locally found materials they have set up a system that gets rid of 99.88% of water
born diseases. Because of their success these are now produced in over 50 factories
across 30 countries. These filters are the highest rated system for water in rural areas.
Potters for Peace is a non profit organization that educates others on how to make the
water systems.
The way this system works is the water is purified with silver and pottery...colloidal
silver-enhanced ceramic water purifier. Pottery treated with silver so that bacteria is
eliminated. Water drips through the tiny cracks in the pottery. Bacteria caught in
corners and killed by silver.

Idea/Invention:
(Filtration:
http://m.wikihow.com/Make-a-Water-Filter
)
To use a bird feeder as the filtration system. We will pump the dirty water to the top of
the bird feeder, and then have the filtration system be inside the body of the bird feeder.
The water will go through the filtration system and then be pumped out as needed
through the bird feeder holes at the bottom of the bird feeder. We have now revised our
filter to two water bottles cut in half and glued together with the layers inside, a screen
on top and the filtered water dripping out of the lid, through a coffee filter.
Testing Filtration Methods:
1)a description of the specific method/material you were testing to solve
We are using multiple layers of filtration. It starts with bigger filters with purposes of
filtering out bigger particles and eliminating chemical levels. For this we used a wire
screen to help filter out the larger dirt particles. Then as the water goes down the bottle
it proceeds into higher levels of filtration where the items focus on filtering out smaller
particles in the water. We used cotton balls(six), sand(1 cup total), gravel(1 cup total),
and activated carbon(1 cup total) to help filter the water with their porous effects. The
gravel contributed to help stop smaller, however still moderate sized particles. The sand
helps stop smaller particles, for with a larger amount of sand, less bacteria is allowed
through. The activated carbon helps by bonding with particles as they flow through the
carbon, stopping bacteria and chemicals to continue through the filter. Lastly, the cotton
balls help stop any last bacteria or particles still wanting to get through the filter. With
the multiple levels of filter the water takes a while. After the water is filtered goes
through a final safety layer of a coffee filter, and then flows into a bowl. Our revised
version does not use the straws or the boiling pot of water at the end of the filter process.
2)a qualitative reflection on the success of your method
Our new method has proven to be very affective.
3)a reflection on potential next steps
Potential next steps is to find a more efficient way to get the filtered water to boil.
Next steps could include a more sure way of filtering out chemicals and bacteria, high
focus being on e coli.
February 19, 2015
Today we accomplished deciding what our final materials would be.We are bringing
them in tomorrow.
Hailey is doing the sketch-up report. Lily is doing the drawing. Amina is helping Hailey
with the sketch-up, and Delilah is doing the write up.

February 20, 2015

Today Delilah worked on the write up. Hailey and Amina got materials and started
building the filtrations system. Lily finished working on the detailed drawing of the
filtration system.
Materials:
(Estimated cost: 20-30 dollars)

$2- 2 coffee filters-

to prevent dirt and larger particles from getting through the
system
$5- 5 by 5 in. screen-
To get rid of the larger chunks of dirt at the beginning of the
filtration system
$7- 1 and a half of a plastic water bottle-
The container the water filtration system
will be in
$1 cotton balls
- To get rid of smaller dirt and other bacteria still in water as it reaches
the end of the system
$10- activate carbon -
To get rid of bacteria and microorganisms in the water by
bonding with the bacteria and not letting it continue through the filter
$7- gravel and sand-
To get rid of all other dirt as it goes through the system with
their porous effects (the more sand, the less particles are allowed through)
Product Description and Testing Report
After revising our water filter, we decided to use a water bottle with the layers inside and
a coffee filter on the bottom. We then started our tests. The first test we did was the
ammonia test. We first tested how much ammonia was in the original water, before
filtering, which was 4.0 ppm. We then poured that water through our filter and we
tested the final amount of ammonia in the water by using ammonia drops and shaking a
small amount of the final filtered water. The amount of ammonia that was left in the
water ranged from .25-0 ppm. Judging by this test our filter sufficiently removed the
ammonia from our water.
The next test we did was the turbidity test. This test basically showed how much dirt and
sediment we could remove from the water with our fiter. We had a cylinder and we put
dirty water into it and then we had a metal dial that we would drop into it and when we
stopped seeing it was where we measured from. Before we filtered the water we could
only see it 2cm down but after we filtered it, we could see it to the bottom of the cylinder
(23.5cm).
The third test we conducted was the microorganisms test. Using a microscope we
searched a few droplets of water that had not been filtered and that had microorganisms
in it. We counted the microorganisms that we saw moving in one strip of the drop we

were examining. We saw 5 microorganisms. We then poured the unfiltered water into
the filter and then we took the new water and observed a drop under the microscope. In
the filtered water we only found 1 microorganism. Our filter was fairly efficient at
removing microorganisms.
The fourth and final test we did was a pH test. This tests for how many potential
hydrogens are in the water. On the pH scale, neutral is at 7.0 pH. 0 is highly acidic while
14 is highly basic. When we tested the original water it was at 8.2 pH and after it was
filtered the pH was brought down to 7.4 pH. If the water is a little acidic or a little basic
its really not an issue, its when it begins to be much much higher or lower on one side
that an issue arises. Anglers usually look for water with pH between 6.2 and 8.4 levels
because the fish are more prevalent.
Concluding our tests, our filter works well. Removing the dirt and sediment from the
water is one of the biggest goals for water filtering in Kajiado District, Kenya and our
filter demonstrates that we have done this. The microorganisms test is also relatable to
the water in Kenya because of the living bacteria in the water. Our filter has worked
almost perfectly at removing these. The ammonia test is also very important to water
filtering in Kajiado District, removing this no smell gas will help keep fish alive and the
water more clean and chemical, bacteria free. The pH level is not as high a priority in
Kenya but if our filter can take any of it out that is a good thing.
Tuesday 24, 2015

Field Report
Kenya- Kajiado District

Kenya is located on the east coast of Africa.

The pollutants we are trying to address in the water is fecal coliform which contains
human sewage, animal contamination, and agriculture, such as using manure as a
fertilizer. These can run in to the river when it rains.
QUICK FACTS
Capital city: Nairobi

Population of 45 million
17.5 million lack safe water
31.7 million have no sanitation services
Infant mortality rate of 4.1%
43.4% live in poverty
"Kenya."
Waterorg
. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.

Physical Geography

Kenyas population is separated by over 40 different languages and ethnicities.

Swahili is the international language of Kenya. The main group is Kikuyu. In the past
there has been serious civil unrest between the tribes. Although Kenya does not have an

international language but its main religion is christianity and Islam is popular in some
areas. Kenya is a very ethnically diverse country.
6.7% of the adult population suffers from HIV. One third of the population is
covered in health care.
In Kajiado District, Kenya specifically. The water is polluted by animal feces and
other diseases caused by livestock and wild animals drinking from shallow water pools,
that humans also use. Also human fecal coliforms pollute the water. The main issue
however, is the lack of access to water and lack of water as a whole. It is not only the
humans that need water it is also the livestock, which is the humans livelihood.
Boreholes have been used for a while in this region of Kenya, but many of these have
since stopped working. Shallow wells could be a future alternative to boreholes.This
district lies in a semi arid region. The Kajiado District has parts of the Rift Valley, it also
has the Central Hills, the Athi-Kapiti Plains and the Amboseli Plains. The wettest areas
are in the south near the Kilimanjaro foothills and near the Athi-Kapiti Plains. The
average rainfall is about 300-800 mm. The majority of the rain falls in March to May.
There are a few permanent water resources in Kajiado, but it is not enough for everyone
to survive off of. The population mostly consists of the Massai tribe. Farming is a large
part of the economy in Kajiado.
Four fifths of the country is actually only populated by 15% of the people living in
Kenya. The last fifth is populated by 85% of the population.The most densely populated
parts of the country are around the Kenya Highlands and also the Lake Victoria Basin.
The cities Nairobi and Mombasa are also very densely populated. Kenya has one of the
highest population growths in the world, this is because of the high birthrate and the
low death rate.
While Kenyas educational goals are high and well intended, because of lack of
funding and political interference has prevented those goals from being accomplished.
Their main goal is 8 years of primary school for free. But the school system lacks
facilities and teachers. More than 75% of all school age children are in school and in
urban areas, the enrollment is highest.
Kenyas government is a presidential representative democratic republic. The president
is head of the government and head of state.
Kenya has different socioeconomic factors. Still, 50% population lives below the
poverty line. The gap between rich and poor is huge and its increasing. In 2008 this gap
caused an uprising between the rich and the poor. Agriculture is the biggest economic
factor, but mining, manufacturing and exportation of goods plays a role.
The Great Rift Valley (volcanic region) is the main geographic region in Kenya.
There are also the Kenya Highlands, not far from the Rift Valley. These form the steep
western edge of the valley. The Lake Victoria Basin in the west forms a highland
between the eastern and western arms of the great rift valley. Kenya has an equatorial
climate because of its coastal plain on the Kavirondo Gulf. Average temperatures are
about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Average rain the Highlands range from 35-60 inches. The
rest receives less than 20 inches per year. Kenya is mostly covered by dry savanna
grassland.

Women in Kenya have very little freedom due to traditional reasons, women in
Kenya have lost control and access to the land, therefore they have became more
dependent on men.
Physical Geography

"Geography of Kenya - Physical Geography HowStuffWorks."

HowStuffWorks
. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.

The Great Rift Valley (volcanic region) is the main geographic region in Kenya.
There are also the Kenya Highlands, not far from the Rift Valley. These form the steep
western edge of the valley. The Lake Victoria Basin in the west forms a highland
between the eastern and western arms of the great rift valley. Kenya has an equatorial
climate because of its coastal plain on the Kavirondo Gulf. Average temperatures are
about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Average rain the Highlands range from 35-60 inches. The
rest receives less than 20 inches per year. Kenya is mostly covered by dry savanna
grassland.