Updated on December 28, 2023

·

Created on September 27, 2018

Grifaid Community Filter

Grifaid Community filters are portable membrane filters that can be used for schools, clinics, and in small communities.

Developed By Unknown
Tested By
  • Ghana Standards Authority
  • Kenya Water Institute
  • Newcastle University
  • Rwanda Standards Board (RSB)
  • The Central Laboratory for Water Quality of South Sudan
  • The Gambia Dept. of Water Resources
  • University of Arizona
Content Partners
Unknown

Author

Product Description

The Grifaid Community Filters are portable membrane filters that can clean biological contamination and solids to provide safe drinking water for communities. The Safe Water Trust Ltd is a UK based not-for-profit specializing in the design and manufacturing of synthetic membrane filters.

Target SDGs

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

Market Suggested Retail Price

$345.79

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Community

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

Grifaid is partnered with multiple organizations including UK Aid, UNHCR, Handicap International, and Ashanti Development who have distributed Grifaid Community Filters worldwide. Another partner distributing organization is Aquabox.

Competitive Landscape

Direct competitors include WateROAM ROAMfilter Plus.

Manufacturing/Building Method

The product is mass-produced in the UK.

Intellectural Property Type

Trademark

User Provision Model

NGOs and users can request orders for the Grifaid filters by sending the manufacturers a request form mentioning the details of the project for which it is required.

Distributions to Date Status

2,000 Interview with manufacturer

Target use case

Community use

Manufacturer-specified flow rate (L/hr)

300 L/hr

Bacteria reduction

>7 log (E.coli)

Type of membrane filtration

Microfiltration

Virus reduction

5 log (MS-2 bateriophage)

Protozoa reduction

Unknown

Heavy metals and/or arsenic reduction

Unknown

Maximum recommended influent turbidity level (NTU)

Unknown

Effluent turbidity levels (NTU)

0-30 NTU

Material of construction

Food grade plastic and PVC hallow fiber membrane. Interview with manufacturer

Safe water storage capacity (L)

None

Manufacturer-specified lifetime volume (L)

>1,000,000 L

Design Specifications

Grifaid Community Filter can retain dust, bacteria, viruses, cysts, and protozoa in the membrane filter equivalent to 0.01 microns. Sand and other coarse particles are screened by a washable pre-filter screen with 0.12 mm holes. Dirty water is periodically flushed out of the system. Untreated water is collected in a vessel or a bucket, the product is placed so that the foot strainer is immersed in the water and is then pumped to deliver safe drinking water. The dimensions of a packaged system are 250 x 250 x 280 mm and has a dry weight of 12 kg.

Product Schematics

Technical Support

Grifaid provides online video tutorials and manuals for technical support.

Replacement Components

Pump "O" ring seal

Lifecycle

The product includes a 1-year warranty and has an expected lifespan of over 5 years.

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

The manufactures claim that the filter can last for at least 5 years and reduce bacterial and viral levels in water to comply with WHO safe water drinking standards.

Vetted Performance Status

The water from the filter has been tested for effective E. Coli removal by The University of Arizona. Other universities and national bodies have tested the filter as well. Grifaid filter has also been monitored in the Gambia periodically after their distribution in June 2013. The filter lasted for four years with no sign of coming to the end of the working life.

Safety

Proper safety instructions need to be followed while operating the filter.

Complementary Technical Systems

A container filled with unfiltered water and a vessel to store treated clean water.

Academic Research and References

Naranjo, J., and Gerba, C., 2013, “Microbial Reduction Evaluation of the AQUAFILTER FAMILY Water Filtration System”, The University of Arizona, The Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science.

Sallis, P., 2010, “Laboratory evaluation of the performance of an Aquafilter Membrane Filtration Unit”, Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University.

“Grifaid,” Grifaid.org. Available: https://www.grifaid.org/

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

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

“Grifaid,” Grifaid.org. Available: https://www.grifaid.org/buy-water-filters

“The safewater trust ltd unit 8, tower road, Glover industrial estate,” Filesusr.com. Available: https://c65075e9-8cb6-42b6-953b-c9fbceeabc53.filesusr.com/ugd/731132_85ea0ba8c8104032ba795eaea1695200.pdf

T. Operate:, “300 litres per hour,” Wixstatic.com. Available: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/731132_c4ce061555ac4a0ca8ffe3fefa0aa243.pdf

“Grifaid®.” Available: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2VC3rTSKGTQteSVQuW2VRA.

Grifaid.org. Available: https://www.grifaid.org/documents/user-manual-community.pdf

Grifaid®, “Grifaid® Community Filter Tutorial: Pump Clean Water,” 16-Aug-2016. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPRtKMlW-3c

“Grifaid,” Grifaid.org. Available: https://www.grifaid.org/filters/test-results

Engineeringforchange.org. Available: https://www.engineeringforchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/731132_81ddf8f90069428385344449cf3c2f8e.pdf

“Testing results,” Newcastle University. Available: https://c65075e9-8cb6-42b6-953b-c9fbceeabc53.filesusr.com/ugd/731132_81ddf8f90069428385344449cf3c2f8e.pdf

J. E. Naranjo, B. S. Research, and C. P. Gerba, “Microbial reduction evaluation of the AQUAFILTER FAMILY water filtration system,” Filesusr.com. Available: https://c65075e9-8cb6-42b6-953b-c9fbceeabc53.filesusr.com/ugd/731132_5b9f71a25c844f1fb38ae2e2e63e28ab.pdf

“Testing results,” Kenya Water Institute. Available: https://c65075e9-8cb6-42b6-953b-c9fbceeabc53.filesusr.com/ugd/731132_7c3fa6f2063d40f88b35b53cef9a7afe.pdf

“Testing results,” Rwanda Bureau of Standards. Available: https://c65075e9-8cb6-42b6-953b-c9fbceeabc53.filesusr.com/ugd/731132_6746efa125054ac7bae24eb89546d4fb.pdf

“Testing results,” The Central Laboratory for Water Quality of South Sudan. Available: https://c65075e9-8cb6-42b6-953b-c9fbceeabc53.filesusr.com/ugd/731132_33995c57ac4e42a39fc3355fa98925be.pdf

U. S. Epa and OW, “Drinking Water Regulations,” 2015

“Grifaid,” Grifaid.org. Available: https://www.grifaid.org/news

 

Compliance with regulations

The Grifaid Community Filter meets the US-EPA water standards along with national standards from Rwanda, Ghana, Gambia and other countries.

Evaluation methods

The Grifaid filters have been tested in laboratories for E. coli and MS-2 contamination.

Other Information

Grifaid Water Filters have a news section to keep up-to-date on current developments of the products.

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