Agriculture
December 27, 2023
ACI Household Filter
Read SolutionImplemented by
Aqua Clara International
Updated on January 2, 2024
·Created on August 30, 2020
The UZ-1 is a hollow fiber membrane household water filtration unit.
The UZ-1 Water Filter is a hollow fiber membrane water filter, designed, manufactured, and distributed by Uzima in the USA. Each filter contains bundles of hollow fibers designed to allow only water molecules to pass through the filter, filtering out anything larger than 0.1 microns (bacteria, cysts, protozoa). UZ-1 filters are sold as boxsets. Each box contains 10 UZ-1 filters, 10 bucket connectors, 11 water taps, and 11 educational materials.
Target SDGs
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being
Market Suggested Retail Price
$250.00
Target Users (Target Impact Group)
Household, Public Sector Agencies, NGOs
Distributors / Implementing Organizations
Uzima Clean Water Mission is an organization that coordinates the purchase of products for communities by NGOs. In Kenya, this product has been implemented by NGOs such as e3kids, Just One Africa, and Pregis. The product has also been implemented by HOI in Honduras.
Competitive Landscape
Direct competitors include Agualogic water filter, ACI Household Filter, and Tulip Table Top Filter.
Manufacturing/Building Method
The UZ-1 is mass-manufactured in the USA by Uzima.
Intellectural Property Type
Trademark
User Provision Model
The product is largely marketed for purchase and distribution by humanitarian organizations. Alternatively, users can obtain the product directly from Uzima.
Distributions to Date Status
As of 2019, approximately 4,000 units have been distributed.
Target use case
Household use
Manufacturer-specified flow rate (L/hr)
1 L/hr
Bacteria reduction
4 log (E. coli, Salmonella typhi (Typhoid), Vibrio cholerae (Cholera))
Type of membrane filtration
Hollow Fiber Membrane
Virus reduction
None
Protozoa reduction
6 log (Cryptosporidium & Giardia)
Heavy metals and/or arsenic reduction
No
Maximum recommended influent turbidity level (NTU)
Unknown
Effluent turbidity levels (NTU)
Unknown
Material of construction
Unknown
Safe water storage capacity (L)
20 L
Manufacturer-specified lifetime volume (L)
Unknown
Design Specifications
The gravity-fed membrane micro-filtration product is assembled by the purchaser. The filter consists of hollow fiber membrane technology, with a pore size of 0.1 microns. Standard installation requires acquiring two 20 L buckets, one of which must have a lid (upper bucket). Holes must be drilled in the buckets in accordance with the instructions provided by the manufacturer. The final product consists of two 20 L buckets stacked on top of each other. The top bucket is filled with raw water. This bucket has the filter cartridge screwed into the bottom of it. Water flows from the top bucket, through the filter cartridge by gravity into the bottom bucket. Water enters the filter surrounding the membrane, clean water molecules are able to pass through pores to the bottom bucket, whilst biological contaminants are unable to pass.
Technical Support
The manufacturer provides support on the assembly of the filtration system. The UZ-1 requires regular cleaning to ensure working capacity.
Replacement Components
Unknown
Lifecycle
Expected lifespan of 10 years
Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters
The filter is designed to have an effective reduction of bacteria by 6 log (coliforms).
Vetted Performance Status
Field studies of independent academic research have found that the UZ-1 filter achieved 93.8% of effective bacterial filtration.
Safety
Incorrect maintenance of the system could result in the ingestion of contaminated water causing illness.
Complementary Technical Systems
Safe water storage containers
Academic Research and References
Fagerli G., et al, 2018, Evaluation of use, acceptability and effectiveness of household water filter systems in Honduras 2016-2017 Journal of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene for Development
World Health Organisation, 2019, Results of Round II of the WHO International Scheme to Evaluate Household Water Treatment Technologies. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
K. Fagerli et al., “Evaluation of use, acceptability, and effectiveness of household water filter systems in Honduras, 2016–2017,” J. Water Sanit. Hyg. Dev., vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 809–816, 2018.
“UZ-1 ~ Household Water Filter ~ Uzima Water Filters Water Filters,” Uzima Water Filters, 02-May-2018. Available: https://uzimafilters.org/our-products/uz-1/
“Manufacturer,” HOI – Honduras Outreach International, 18-Sep-2020. Available: https://hoi.org/
“E3 Kids International?::: Equipping, Empowering & Educating Youth,” e3kids international. Available: https://e3kids.com
“Sustainable Clean Water Solutions for Kenya – Just One Africa,” Just One Africa – Creating sustainable solutions for vulnerable children and the clean water crisis., 12-Feb-2015. Available: https://www.justoneafrica.org/clean-water/
“Giving Back,” Pregis.com. Available: https://www.pregis.com/sustainable-packaging/giving-back/
“Uzima Water Filters Online Store,” Uzima Water Filters. Available: https://shop.uzimafilters.org/
“Goal 6,” Sdgs.un.org. Available: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal6
“UZIMA Trademark of Uzima Filters, Inc. – Registration Number 4985163 – Serial Number 86676877?:: Justia Trademarks,” Justia.com. Available: http://trademarks.justia.com/866/76/uzima-86676877.html
Uzimafilters.org, 2015. Available: https://uzimafilters.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/BCN-Microbiological-Results-UZima-FIlter-091815.pdf
“Bucket-Assembly-Instruction,” Uzimafilters.org. Available: https://uzimafilters.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Bucket-Assembly-Instructions.compressed.pdf
Uzimafilters.org. Available: https://uzimafilters.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/UZ-1-Filter-Usage-Cleaning.pdf
CAWST, “UZima Filter UZ1,” UZima Filter UZ1. Available: https://www.hwts.info/products-technologies/f23373fe/uzima-filter-uz1/technical-information
Compliance with regulations
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) goals for microbiological reduction were used to assess the UZ-1 filter, by BCA Laboratories. The study found that the filters were able to reduce bacteria levels by 6 log (coliform). Compliance with WHO performance metrics for the reduction of bacteria and protozoa.
Evaluation methods
Effective removal of coliforms, in compliance with WHO safe water drinking guidelines, is cited as an evaluation criterion by the manufacturers.
Other Information
Uzima is partnered with the Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST). The product is featured on the CAWST site in Products & Technologies. The product is purchased as a set of 10. Each set contains 10 UZ-1 filters, 10 bucket connectors, 11 water taps, 11 filter cleaners, and 11 educational brochures. Buckets are sold separately.
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