CA2270519C

CA2270519C - Method and apparatus for purification of potable water

Info

Publication number: CA2270519C
Application number: CA 2270519
Authority: CA
Inventors: Zenon Todorski
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-05-12
Filing date: 1999-05-12
Publication date: 2002-01-15
Anticipated expiration: 2019-05-12
Also published as: CA2270519A1

Abstract

An efficient, easy to use and inexpensive method for purification of potable water with the aid of absorbent contained in a pouch made of permeable fabric. This pouch is inserted into a suitable container, through which water is made to trickle under gravity into a reservoir.

Description

BACKGROUND OF T'HE IN VENT lON
Recent increase in population and industrialization has brought about deterioration of the potble water supply. Even chlorination of water, which has had beneficial effects in the control certain diseases, has come recently under fire, since chlorine reacts with certain organic impurities, forming carcinogenic compounds, which are injurious to health. During the last quarter of the century many types of water purification systems, generally referred to as filters, have been designed and put on the market. These were sold at the beginning at exorbitant prices, mainly because they were corrrnplicated in the construction. Some water purifiers need special connection to the water piping under the sink,.while others have to be connected to the water i:aucet above the sink; this restricts the use of the sink. Recent simplification in the filtration of ~Nater has been made possible because of the patent by Mr.Heintz Hankammer, US
# 2 UU8 487, where connection to the water faucet is not required. Iv needs; however a bulky special container, into which specially designed cartridge has to be inserted. This cartridge is made of plastic and ~;herefore it can not be disinfected by boiling it in hot water to arrest the growth of bacteria on ~;he adsorption media inside the cartridge. These various disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by my invention. The improved methods and apparatus for easy, inexpensive and efficient purification of potable water, are hereafter disclosed.
~~L1IVIMARY OF THE INVENTIOIrf lEfficient purification of water by adsorption of the impurities onto the adsorption media relies bringing all the impurities in each iota of water in close contact with the active surface of the ~~dsorbent, such as activated carbon for example. 'fo achieve this the adsorbent has to have fine ;;ranular structure and be held in a container, through the walls of which water can diffuse in and ~~ut at a controlled rate. In my invention., this is secured by putting the adsorbent into a pouch, which is made of material with porous structure, such as various polymer fabrics or the ;~punbonded polyesters. There are many sizes of the pouch that can be made, but because of the ~~imensional restrictions, like the height of the faucet discharge above the bottom of the sink.
'There is an optimum size of the pouch that can be inserted into a suitable container, so it can perform as a filter, when placed under a faucet over a pitcher, into which the purified water can .discharge under gravity. Good purification was obtained when the pouch was made in the shape ~of a cylinder having two inches in dianneter and two inches long. The flow of water has to be adjusted to a trickle, so that most of the water enters the pouch and none spills over into the sink.
As water enters the pouch through the pores in the pouch fabric it diffuses through the pores of the activated carbon, whereby impurities are adsorbed onto its surface. It then drains freely into the reservoir ( pitcher j underneath. It its advisable, that the pouch is placed in boiling water long enough to sterilize it free of bacterua, that could get into the pouch during the processing or in transit. Also, it is advisable to repeat the the sterilization process once a month to eliminate any possibility of contamination with bacteria. It should be noted that during the sterilization process, partial regeneration of the adsorbent will be affected, as well as some din, which accumulates on the surface of the lx~uc;h during filtration, will be washed off.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a cross section of a (filter, which has large mouth funnel with a cylindrical pouch inserted .
Fig. 2 shows a cylindrical pouch inserted inside a cylindrical container, wick is connected to a lhead feed water pitcher, by means of flexible tubing, and the cylindrical container is suspended inside a pitcher below by means of a hook.
.'Fig. 3 shows the said cylindrical filter ~~ith the said cylindrical pouch connected to a water :Faucet by means of a flexible rubber connector and a flexible tube.
lFig. 4 shows the said cylindrical filterwith the said cylindrical pouch coupled directly on to the said, faucet by means of a flexible robber connector, without the said flexible tube.
DESCRIPTION OF TF~E PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
,A cylindrical pouch 18 is made of pernneable material, such as polymer fabric or spunbonded polyester fibers. For domestic application the size of the cylindrical pouch was found to be two inches long, so that the purifier in the assembled position can fit under the water faucet 8. The pouch is filled with adsorbing material, closed by means of heat sealing or sewing in such a way l:hat it attains a cylindrical shape and its cicumferential wall forms a tight seal with the cylindrical wall of the large mouth funnel into which it is inserted. The assembled filter is positioned on the top of the picther 7, so that water from the faucet 8 will enter the filter, permeate through the adsorbing matrial in the pouch and drain into the pitcher.
another prefered embodiment of the invention is made by inserting the cylindrical pouch into a cylindrical container 21 and kept in place by means of screw-on cap 23 with a hole. The head feed tank ( pitcher ) 19 is connected to the cylindrical container 21 by means of a flexible tubing :?0 and a suitable tube connector 20. The cylindrical container with the said pouch is suspended inside another either 24 by means of a hook 22, as shown on the Fig. 2.
Fig. 3 shows a filter composed of a cylindrical container 21 wwith the said clindrical pouch 18 inserted. The said cylindrical filter is connected to a soft rubber connector 25 by means of flexible ttubing 20. The soft rubber connector is mounted on to the water faucet 8, and thesaid filter is suspended by means of a hook 22 inside the pitcher in a similar manner as described under Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 shows the said cylindrical filter 21 attached directly on to a soft rubber connector 25, which is mounted on to the faucet 8. Tlle closing cap of the cylindrical filter is perforated.

Claims

1. A water purifcation system using a cylindrical pouch made of water permeable soft material, filled with adsorbant and placed inside a cylindrical container, which is closed with a perforated cap, through which water can be made to flow, when the other end of the said cylindrical container is connected to a head pitcher by means of a flexible tubing, while the cylindrical container is suspended inside a pitcher below by means of a hook.

2. A water purification system comrising a pouch as described in claim 1 inserted in the discharge of a large mouth funnel, which is placed on the top of a container into which water is being filterd.

3. A water purification system comprising a cylindrical poch inserted into a cylindrical container as described in claim 1 is connected to water faucet by means of a flexible rubber connector so that the said cylindrical filter can be placed in a pitcher.

4. A water purifcation system comprising a cylindrical pouch inserted in a cylindrical container as described in claim 1 and connected directly on to a soft rubber connector, which can be amounted on to the water faucet.