FAQ

Who can join the ACI Community? How can I join?

The ACI Community consists of ACI staff, volunteers, affiliates and others committed to the mission of clean water for all. If you are interested in joining this community by participating in a training workshop, click here to contact us and we will work towards including you in a scheduled workshop.  Following your successful completion of the workshop, we will provide you with a user name and password.

Where does ACI work?

Local people have been trained and ACI family-based purifiers have been placed all over the world. And we're growing. ACI sends its own staff to its two countries of focus Kenya and Nicaragua. To reach other areas, ACI works with other organizations to train their staff and members in the use and transfer of its program. Check out our interactive map for more information.

How does the ACI Family-basedWater Purifier work?

The ACI Water Purifier is designed to be simple, effective and affordable, and is made from materials that can be locally sourced wherever the purifiers are in demand. The purifier body is assembled from large HDPE plastic containers and simple PVC pipe, and the filler material consists of local sand and gravel. The standard ACI Water Purifier can produce over 40 liters of safe drinking water daily. Click here to learn more.

What is the cost of an ACI Water Purifier?

The ACI Water Purifier was developed with the aim of keeping per unit cost to a minimum so that it would ultimately be more scalable. The ACIWP is regularly constructed of components costing between $10 and $30, depending on country and the construction materials available in it – for a projected water output cost of $0.001 per liter. This low cost not only makes the ACI program highly scalable, but affords the opportunity for local entrepreneurs to launch for profit businesses around the manufacture, sale and maintenance of ACI purifiers. Click here to learn more about our Affiliate Program.

What is the lifespan of an ACI Water Purifier?

The ACIWP is projected to last up to10 years with only minor maintenance. The limiting factor will be the durability of the plastic body chosen as well as its exposure to the elements. The filler material will continue functioning for much longer with only minor maintenance to the top few centimeters of sand and biological material.

How does the Sand and Membrane (SAM) system work?

SAM combines two separate filtration methods in order to generate clean water from the poor quality water common to developing countries.  Sand is used to reduce and/or eliminates turbidity, parasites and bio-load in the water.  Next, hollow fiber membranes are used to separate the bacterial life from the water to be consumed and thus an output of sterile water quality is achieved.

What is the cost of a SAM system?

The basic SAM designed system that provides 5,000 liters of sterile water per day costs $7500. However, engineering modifications are tailored to deal with the specific, local needs; this can increase or decrease the unit cost.

What is the lifespan of a SAM system?

The basic SAM system is designed to last at least ten years.  Membrane's can last a year; but, membrane life performance will vary  depending on the water quality, thru-put rates and proper system maintenance.  Optimum operating procedures will be established for each system in each operating environment.

How do the ACI filters for special contaminants work?

The design of each special ACI filter is specific to the contaminant to be removed. For example, arsenic ions in water are reduced/removed via an adsorbing material that is specifically designed and tailored for arsenic. We design each type of filter to be effective for two years. Generally we will lease these units and establish a performance monitoring system for each type of unit to assure quality. At present, the water borne contaminants dealt with by ACI include arsenic, mercury, lead and fluoride ions.