Ceramic candle filter

Man using the ceramic candle filter

There are several producers of ceramic candle filters. The product discussed here is the
Water4life Gravity Unit ceramic candle filter.
The system consists of two reservoirs on top of each other. The top reservoir contains
at least one candle and at most two filter candles. The lower bucket works as safe
storage for treated water. The top reservoir is filled with contaminated source water.
Gravity pushes the water gradually through the porous filter candle. The average flow
rate of the water is limited to about 1 to 2 litres per hour.
The filter candles are from India, China, Indonesia or Brazil. Layer 1 is made from clay
which is fired to attain a fine pore structure. The size of these pores differ. But the Brazil
Stefani candles can stop any particles / bacteria larger than 0,5 micrometer. The second
layer is impregnated with colloidal silver on the inside and outside which deactivates
bacteria. In layer 3, it is filled up with activated carbon. This is a material that has huge
potential to adsorb. Contaminants slide into the holes of this honeycomb and hold fast.
thereby it can hold iron, chlorine, odour and colour.
Suitable conditions
Advantages Disadvantages
- High acceptance by user - From surveys it appeared that users do
not clean or clean the lower reservoir in a
- Simple operation wrong manner. Consequently bacteria can
- Low frequency of maintenance again grow and multiply in the clean water
- No use of chemicals and recontaminate it.
- Easy to produce
- Creating local employment - No reliable means to check the water
- In field training and/or training manual quality, especially in regards to the end of
are available by request to Water4life life of the product which could cause the
- Provide safe storage consumption of unsafe drinking water.
- Several hours of waiting time until clean
water is available.
- Silver release on ppb level; <50 ppb Ag
- Low flow rate; but if it could be filled
before going to sleep, there will be 8 litres
of water. And if filled 3 times a day, it
could produce 24 litres enough for family
consumption.
When new candles are used, don’t consume the first 5 litres for drinking water.
Do not clean the unit and candles every day. Filter candles need to be cleaned
when flow rate is very low. Use some water an a piece of cloth to rub the dirt off
the candles. Never use soap or other detergents. If the dirt has penetrated the
outer layers of the ceramics, scrapping off the outer layer is needed. This can be
done by using hard brush. Take care that no crack is introduced. Once a crack is
created the water is no longer safe.
Store clean water covered and away from sunlight. To prevent recontamination,
refrain from opening the lower vessel for any reason and access the filtered
water only through the tap.
Complete user’s directions are provided when unit is purchased. Motivational
campaigns, extensive training or other instructions could optimize health benefits,
reduce failures, and improve the longevity and sustainability of the intervention

Material requirement and methodology

The raw materials needed are:

Dry clay. Clay dust is probably easiest. (Warning! Clay dust is

extremely harmful to your lungs! Only use outside, under a hood, or in
another well ventilated area!)

Fine Sawdust. Best obtained by sieving sawdust. A #30 (600 Micon)

size sieve works best, although other sizes can work. Smaller is not
advised, as it will be a slow process to sieve and will slow the filtration
rate. Larger can be used, up to the size of a window screen, although
the filtration quality will suffer some.
Water. The purity of the water should not matter much.

A mold. The clay-sawdust mixture lacks plasticity, so using a mold to shape the
pots is best.

Kiln/Furnace. We used an electric programmable furnace, although anything that

can reach the required temperatures at a controllable rate will work.

Mix the Clay and Sawdust:

Proportions are key at this stage. Most sources use a 50/50 ratio by volume of
clay to sawdust; however, we determined a ratio up to 20/80 clay to sawdust can
be used and still effectively filter.

If the sawdust is well sieved with at least a #30 sieve, more sawdust will increase
the speed while not negatively impacting the filtration significantly up to about
20% clay and 80% sawdust by volume. If the sawdust is not well sieved or is
sieved by a mesh larger than #30, more sawdust will negatively affect the results
of the filter, and so a slower ratio of 50/50 clay to sawdust by volume is
recommended.

The other main factors when determining the proportions of clay and sawdust is
the plasticity of the clay during working and the strength of the pot after firing.
More sawdust will reduce both plasticity and strength. At 50/50, the clay is not
too difficult to work with and will come out of the kiln strong enough to be easily
handled, though still not nearly as strong as clay alone. At 20/80, the clay cracks
significantly during even simple working, which can lead to air bubbles in the clay
that may impact filtration, and will come out weak and possibly even crumbly.

In the end, a 50/50 or 40/60 proportion by volume of clay to sawdust is probably

best for most applications, coming out generally fast and strong enough to be
useful. Higher proportions of sawdust can be useful if speed is an issue, effective
sieving is possible, and strength is not an issue, although this is not
recommended otherwise.

Just Add Water:

After the clay and sawdust have been mixed, add water and mix in small
amounts until the clay clumps together completely and is soft and workable. Be
careful not to add too much water and make the clay into a sludge.
Once the clay is workable, wedge it to further mix the clay and remove bubbles
from the inside of the clay. This may be difficult with less plastic clays and at
higher sawdust proportions, however try your best. Some smaller bubbles in the
clay should not significantly affect the filtration.

Mold:
Form your workable clay into/around your mold. We used small plastic balls for
our molds, although larger ones can be used. Adding water to the clay at this
point may be necessary to increase its plasticity and to help reform cracks that
may occur. Wall width should be around 0.5 - 1 cm.

Once you have the clay in the proper shape, let it dry until it can be safely
removed. Then remove it and let dry until bone dry. Larger pieces may need to
be covered in plastic or another waterproof material, allowing them to dry slowly
and evenly.

Firing:
Once the pieces are bone dry, they are ready for firing. We used an electric
programmable furnace, although a more traditional kiln and cones can certainly
be used.

As with most any clays, the furnace should be brought slowly up to about 100 or
120 degrees Celsius to allow the pore water in the clay to boil off and escape.
We used a time of 2 hours to reach 100 degrees.

Then the furnace should be brought up to about 890 degrees Celsius, or ^012, in
about an hour. It should be then held there for 8 to 9 hours, then allowed to
slowly cool off down to room temperature in 2 hours or more.

There is a lot that happens to the clay between 120 and 890 degrees Celsius.
Understanding the way this firing process affects the microstructure, and thus the
porosity, is crucial to understanding the filter.

The most significant process as the piece fires is the ceramic change. This
begins at about 350 degrees, peaks at 600 degrees, and ends by 700 degrees
Celsius. At this point, the water chemically bound to the clay is driven off,
converting the clay into a hard ceramic. At this point the clay is no longer held
together by water, but by a process that occurs called sintering, where small
points of contact between clay crystals are welded together.

Thus by 700 degrees the clay is extremely porous, with crystals being held
together only by small welds at points of contact. While good for the purpose of
filtration, this makes the ceramic extremely weak.

At 700 degrees the burning out process, where carbon, sulfur, and organic
molecules combust, begins. This is crucial in the filter making process as that
pores left over from the burnt off sawdust contributes significantly to the filtering
process. The burning out reaches a peak around 800 degrees, and is pretty
much completed by 900 degrees Celsius.

The final process to take place during firing is vitrification. Vitrification starts at
800 degrees C and involves a glass of metal oxides and silica filling in the pores
between clay crystals, strengthening the ceramic but also reducing porosity.

Thus 890 degrees C is the optimal firing temperature because it creates a

balance between porosity and strength. At that temperature almost all of the
organic matter will be burnt off, leaving behind pores, and the vitrification process
will have begun but will be be extensive, lending some added strength to the final
ceramic but also leaving many of the pores.