ACI’s flagship product is the Aqua Clara International Bio-Sand Filter (BSF). These filters reduce the organic matter, sediments, and parasites found in source water, providing a family with 40 liters of clean drinking water per day. Water quality meets or exceeds W.H.O. standards; the cost of the filter is approximately $0.001 per liter. The filter body is assembled from PVC pipe and HDPE plastic bodies of whatever type is locally available. Local sand and gravel can be sieved for filler material. The standard BSF is a single-family point-of-use water purification system that can produce 40 liters of safe drinking water daily.  It:

• Produces CLEAN WATER that meets W.H.O. standards for clean water in developing countries;
• Produces safe, AFFORDABLE drinking water;
• Utilizes a reliable process that requires no electricity and involves no moving parts;
• Is built from LOCAL MATERIALS and requires no cement or steel forms for manufacture;
• Is manufactured by LOCAL CRAFTSPEOPLE using SIMPLE TOOLS;
• Can be constructed in LARGE BATCHES in just a few days; and
• Can be manufactured, sold and serviced by a LOCAL ENTREPRENEUR ensuring continued production and service in the long term.

The unit is simple, but the process that goes on within it is not. The BSF incorporates patented technology in which ACI charges a modest fee for a required training workshop. This forges a sustainable solution to water issues in communities while making sure it is done correctly.

Aqua Clara Kenya’s partner CAWST, in several languages, provides a background on how BSFs are made here.