The Potential Use of Pottery Jugs as Drinking Water Filters
The use of porous pottery jugs (fired clay) to the purification of drinking water and reduction f heavy metals and other contaminants is the aim of this study. A total of twenty-eight samples of drinking tap water . Tested for pH, Turbidity, TDS, Electrical Conductivity, Salinity, TH, Ca++ hardness, Mg++ hardness and Total Coliform bacteria, in addition to some heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Mn, Fe, Cd and Cu) in water before and after filtration also inside the jugs through 24 hour. The paper discusses the ability for this technique to reduce such these pollutants that may be remaining after reatment. Pottery jugs (B) represented the best one in WQI and AWQI that may be due to its composition of silt and the high quality of clay. Pottery jugs (B) able to reduce the concentrations of turbidity, TH, Ca++ and Mg ++ hardness. Also, improved its efficiency in decreasing levels of some heavy metals as Mn, Pb, and Cd. Statistical ANOVA tests showed a significant difference between pottery jugs with physicochemical parameters and filtration efficiencies. The concentrations of examined physicochemical parameters and heavy metals in drinking tap water and inside the pottery jugs and in the filtrate were within the safe limits of EMH (2007), WHO (2011) and Egyptian Standards (EEAA, 1994) regulations, except the concentration of Fe inside and in the filtrate, was above safe limit.