METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PURIFICATION OF POTABLE WATER

METHODE ET APPAREIL POUR LA PURIFICATION DE L'EAU POTABLE

English 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.

Claims

3
WHAT IS CLAIMED:
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.

Description

CA 02270519 2001-07-23
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.

CA 02270519 2001-07-23
2
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.

Representative Drawing