AquaClean
Table of Contents
Intro 3
Additional Benefits 5
Other Engineering Innovations 6
How does AquaClean benefit you 7
Body of Filter 8
Interior of Filter 9
Labor & Cost 10
Conclusion 10
References 11
For most of us living in first-world countries, clean water is a blessing that we take for granted. Usually, when we think of contaminated water, we assume it to be in a remote village in a conflicted and politically unstable country. However unclean water is not far from reality for residents of Flint, Michigan. Therefore, new, effective and affordable innovations in water purification are necessary. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when the City of Flint, Michigan made the Flint River their municipal water supply on April 25, 2014. This switch caused water distribution pipes to disintegrate and lead and other pollutants to corrupt the drinking water of the people of Flint Michigan. (CDC, Para 1). The exposure to lead through the contaminated water created various health issues for the residents of Flint, Michigan such as behavioral issues in children.Legionnaires disease, and other illnesses. Unfortunately, this contaminated water affects African American and poor neighborhoods at a higher rate. In the 1980s, the U.S. The General Accounting Office (GAO) found that of all the communities facing hazardous water conditions, three-quarters of them were African American. (Mohai, Pg 2). Such a massive issue can be fixed with the invention of AquaClean, a state-of-the-art portable water filtration system that makes water filtration accessible and affordable for anyone. The city of Flint should put our invention to use as it can reduce the number of illnesses caused by contaminated water in Flint, Michigan, it can provide an inexpensive alternative to buying water or moving homes to access clean water, and last, but not least, it can end the racial divide in the quality of water that residents get as African Americans and other minorities can access clean water with this device.
The Flint, Michigan water crisis is an issue that stems from a plethora of reasons ranging from corrupt government officials, racial divide, and the city’s poor economic condition. When Flint’s emergency manager swapped the water supply from the Huron Water Supply with the Flint River, residents began objecting to the taste, odor, and color of the water coming out of their faucets. (Callihan, 304) Even with the complaints of the majority, the city’s government continued to ignore the issue insisting that the water was “clean.” In reality, Flint’s water was far from clean as researchers found that the water from the river was highly corrosive and caused high levels of lead to be in the water from the water pipes. (Callihan, 305) Such bad water conditions started taking a toll on the residents of Flint, Michigan as a large number of them began experiencing severe illnesses. According to Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician, found in an investigation that the number of patients with rashes and or hair loss doubled and tripled. (Callihan, 305) The residents of Flint, Michigan deserve clean drinkable water that ensures their health, and fortunately, our AquaClean water filter can help them affordably achieve this. Our portable filter can fit in any tap or faucet in your home and with the simple act of passing through the filter, your water becomes clean. The hollow fibers inside the filter clean 99.9% of the bacteria and lead from contaminated water and make it completely healthy to drink and use to wash hands and shower.
Our revolutionary water cleaning device, the AquaClean filter not only cleans the water but also empowers the people of Flint. First, it provides the people to help themselves. They no longer have to feel anxiety from being helpless at the mercy of corrupt government officials, they can easily buy our product from their local department store, and lead a safe life filled with the dignity and respect they deserve. According to an article by the New York Times, the residents have not recovered from the fear of using the water ever since 2014 and 2015, when officials falsely reassured them about the safety of the water. (Bosman 2) With our AquaClean, filter residents can be assured that they have pure drinking water and are not anxious about consuming lead and becoming sick. Secondly, it provides racial equity as our product is at such a price that is available to all demographics. Throughout history, state and local leaders have had a history of ignoring pleas for help from African American families. According to Harvard Political Review, Flint is mostly a Black community with high levels of crime and poverty. When talks of the water source to be changed to the Flint River were brought to the table, most of the residents were against the action but the City officials chose to ignore their residents to save money. (Chaaraoui, pg 2) With our device African Americans can have a say in the quality of water they get in their homes as they can get clean water through our device. This empowers people of color in the city of Flint, and therefore, impacts Flint’s residents positively socially, and emotionally. Additional Benefits of the AquaClean
Furthermore, AquaClean has the possibility of enhancing the lives of residents, without having to break the bank. The Aquaclean is also designed to be small, making it easily packageable. ‘Small and affordable’ is our intended franchise, we want Flint residents to feel comfortable with making a purchase that would be used every day. Flint is one of the poorest cities in the country, with a median household income of $36,000(PBS,2024) While creating our product, we kept this statistic in mind and that is due to wanting to help citizens who have suffered far too long, while also keeping our product financially accessible.
Its small size also helps residents install the AquaClean without replacing entire home pipes. The replacement of pipes is not something Flint residents are comfortable enduring either. “But many of the residents whose water lines have been replaced through the city program are still recoiling at the thought of drinking the water that is flowing into their homes” (NY TIMES,2016) Residents would feel more comfortable purchasing our product and installing it themselves because their distrust of the government endures deeply. The ability to fix their pipe issues themselves could also give them a feeling of accomplishment. Helping residents financially and emotionally is what we intend to accomplish with our AquaClean filtration, and hope to give the city safe drinking water.
Other Engineering Innovations
A device similar to our AquaClean is the LifeStraw. The LifeStraw is a portable water filtration device designed to provide safe drinking water when access to clean water is limited or compromised. It works by using hollow fiber membrane technology to filter out contaminants from water sources, such as bacteria, parasites, and microplastics, and this is done without batteries or electrical power. (CNN,2023) The LifeStraw despite its benefits isn’t a long-term solution like ours. Its limited design is different from our portable AquaClean. Despite being portable as well, the LifeStraw is just a straw and as shown in Figure 1, unless you plan to walk with dirty water in your water bottle, drinking filtered and clean water requires you to hunch over a body of water.
The LifeStraw company did create a solution to their own problem by making a LifeStraw water bottle but this is priced at $49.99, a hefty price to pay for a water bottle. LifeStraw filters are designed for personal Figure one use and typically have a limited capacity. They are not suitable for filtering large quantities of water or for use by multiple people over an extended period, like the AquaClean. Additionally, the LifeStraw doesn’t remove all toxins as well. “LifeStraw filters down to 0.2 microns, removing virtually all bacteria and protozoa, it should be noted that it will not filter out heavy metals, and will not desalinate water” (EarthEasy,2011) The LifeStraw is efficient but it is not as effective as the AquaClean that filters and transforms homes.
How does AquaClean benefit you
AquaClean has more benefits than any other water filtration device, not only is it more effective and popular but it is much easier to use and cheaper than any other filtration device!
AquaClean prices are $19.99, 3x much more affordable than the LifeStraw. Not only is our product cheaper but it is reusable! Instead of throwing away your filtration device, you can just buy a new filter for only $10! AquaClean is safe to use and safe for our environment. Unlike the Lifestraw, which has an expiry of 264 gallons and its only use is for outdoor hiking. AquaClean is portable and usable for your daily use, such as in your kitchen/any faucet available, or if you want you can bring your device to a friend’s house since it’s small and portable.
Compared to any other filtration device, our device is cheaper, portable, reusable, and safe for our environment. AquaClean is the way to go if you want clean water, our device is long-lasting and is a long-term solution for any water issues you might have or your friends might have. With this device all you have to do is screw in by hand into your faucet, you won’t need to worry about any hard installations. Our product is by far the #1 in the market since the most popular Lifestraw is only used in emergencies or for hiking which is very situational and limiting. AquaClean is safe and better for you!
Body of Filter The AquaClean device is a cylindrical attachment that screws onto faucets and filters the water that comes through to provide households with clean water (See Figure 1). The body is mainly made of stainless steel due to its resistance to rust and corrosion. It is also durable, resistant to high temperatures, and more sustainable due to its recyclability (Doyle, 2021). The bottom of the filter features a mesh design, allowing water to flow freely as it should, and a capped top to prevent bacteria from entering the filter (See Figures 2 & 3)
Interior of Filter
The interior of the device features membranes and fibers that carry out the filtration, by removing dissolved solids and microorganisms from the water (See Figure 4). When the water enters through the top, it is first passed through a thin screen, known as the prefilter. The prefilter removes undissolved solids from the water. The water is then pushed through a semipermeable membrane. The pressure forces the water through and forces any dissolved solids out of the water, leaving fresh water on the other side of the membrane (See Figures 5 & 6) (Woodard, 2023).
The pre-filter and membrane procedure of reverse osmosis is very effective in removing dirt, reducing toxins such as arsenic, and removing heavy metals such as lead and mercury, which can be fatal (CDC, 2023). However, the water may still harbor microorganisms and disease-causing bacteria. To ensure the most effective purification the water is then passed through a series of polyester fibers. The fibers contain minute pores and as the water passes through, contaminants including dust and bacteria are removed (See Figure 7) (Nachmani, 2018). Legionella, a disease found in Flint’s water supply can also be filtered out through this process. The multi-step filtration process that occurs within the device allows the water to become as fresh as possible and offers a solution to Flint’s main concerns surrounding its available water.
Labor & Cost
The mass production of the AquaClean device can best be done in a factory and requires no skilled laborers. The laborers who are required to man the machinery here in the U.S. would receive an average of seventeen dollars per hour (“What Is the Average Factory Worker Salary by State,” 2024). Stainless steel costs approximately sixty-four cents per pound (Salvati, 2022) and the polyester fibers used for filter discs and fibers cost between fifty cents and one dollar per kilogram, which comes out to be between twenty-three cents and forty-five cents per pound (“How Much is Polyester Fiber,” n.d.). Overall, the AquaClean device would cost approximately four dollars per unit to mass produce and would be sold to consumers for twenty dollars. The cost of production is in line with industry standards and the cost for consumers is extremely affordable, making choosing AquaClean a no-brainer.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can deduce that our product AquaClean is much better and more efficient compared to other products. Our product is a long-term solution that will help the state of Michigan with its water issues or anybody with water filtration issues. Our goal is to help solve or take one step forward to solving the state of Michigan’s issue by making AquaClean available to everybody by creating a portable water filtration device. AquaClean is efficient, cheap, portable, small, and easy to use! Our device can be the solution to all dirty water-related issues. You won’t need to worry about lead or any other harmful minerals that may be in your water since AquaClean will purify all your water and make it safe to drink for anybody.
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