Finalized Proposal
Keeping in mind the Oaxacan mezcal production techniques and the simplicity of the tools used I found my inspiration for my water filtration mechanism. The structure of the stone wheel used to make mezcal; the large stone wheel is turned by donkeys as it pivots in a circular space (often a cement well) to mash the pulp of the agave into a coarse paste and extract the juice (aguamiel), this is diluted with water to give it the necessary consistency for fermentation. Using the concept of a big solid spinning wheel I designed a wheel that filter out the runoff rainwater and collect the end product; instead of a donkey creating the kinetic energy to spin the stone wheel, this filter will use centrifugal force of a "lazy susan" to spin and cleanse water. Having the same structure as the common top loader washing machine, this filter will have a series of horizontal layers that resemble a set of Russian nesting dolls. This filter will have 5 layers total, each layer will increasingly get bigger and will include charcoal, gravel, coarse sand, and or fine sand. Thanks to the small holes in each layer, which structurally made up of a plastic container, the water spins it will "drain" horizontally and go through each layer until reaching the final collection layer. As the runoff water is being poured into the wheel centrifugal force will make it spin and pour out the water that has gone through the first filter layers will be forced through a copper tube and then into a final water collector. A large part of the bacteria will be reduced by the natural filter layers and any remaining bacteria will be subsided by the copper tube because of copper ionization.
The simplicity of this product can accommodate a range of domestic water needs and can be easily built and maintained by the indigenous people of Oaxaca. In the cost analysis below I included the materials needed for a small scale filter that could be used for a single family and the materials for a larger filter that could benefit a neighborhood and or small village.
The simplicity of this product can accommodate a range of domestic water needs and can be easily built and maintained by the indigenous people of Oaxaca. In the cost analysis below I included the materials needed for a small scale filter that could be used for a single family and the materials for a larger filter that could benefit a neighborhood and or small village.