water filtration pitcher in leifeng china - san jose state university

8/7/2019 water filtration pitcher in Leifeng China - San Jose State University

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San Jose State University / Industrial Design Program DSID124: Design or the Majority Proessor: Leslie Speer Fall 2006

Gita Vaysburg

Fall 06

water fltration pitcher


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Water Filtration

in leiFeng, China.

Abstract

The ollowing case study will explain the design

process behind the Water Filtration Pitcher that

was designed in DSID 124 in Fall o 2006 at San

Jose State University in the Industrial Design

program. Topics covered will include the history

o the region, market assessment, and day in

the lie o a Leieng villager to begin to show how

and where the user o our product lives and how

our solution ties into his/her liestyle and regional

resources. Full detail specs will be presented othe nal solution, including nal model, breakdown

o parts, how it will be used, how it will be made,

and a business model to represent the benets that

our product provides to the villagers. Some o the

design process will be covered as well, including

ideation through sketches, orm inspiration through

existing Chinese pottery, as well as mockups to work

out design details.

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Introduction

DSID 124 is a class that ocuses on

designing or the majority. 5.3 billion people on earth

are not able to enjoy a standard o living that the

remaining 600 million people do. Industrial design is a

proession that has catered to people who have the

resources to be able to buy products that do more

than their unction, while billions o people cannot even

aord such unctional items as bowls and silverware,

urthermore ood. With more and more people

beginning to understand the need or sustainable

design, energy eciency, and supporting those

in need, this class proposes the question: Can

a designer be able to understand the needs and

resources o those less ortunate and come up with

a solution that solves one o their needs? The answer

o course is yes.

Ater several weeks o researching dierentunder developed nations and their peoples needs,

our group chose to concentrate on a village in Jilin

Province called Leieng. This small village is

located in north-east China, near Russia and

suers rom severe water contamination rom the

surrounding industries. Leieng has recently been in

the news due to their polluted water supply, which has

large amounts o fuoride, arsenic, and bacteria in it.

Because water is vital to a healthy lie, we

thought it would be an important issue to try

and resolve. Our solution takes into account the

peoples liestyle, surrounding resources, both

monetary and material, and uture by designing a water

ltration pitcher that not only cleans the contaminated

water but also becomes a source o income or the

village by creating a business and job opportunities

or the villagers.

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History of Leifeng, China

Leieng is located in Jilin province. It is located in

the middle part o northeastern China. Notable

eatures o the province include the Baitou

Volcano and a orest in the mountains o the southeast.

Inhabiting the orest are many rare plants and

animals which include wild mountain ginseng,

Manchurian tigers, leopards, hares, and snakes.

The inhabitants actually keep the snakes and

domesticate them to use later as rat catchers to

protect their arms and orchards.

Around 1600, the region around Jilin was inhabited

by tribes that had very little contact with the outside

world. Nurhachi, a Manchu leader conquered Jilin

and all o China in 1644 to set up the Qing Dynasty.

Jilin was then used to set up a military government.

In the 1700s, armers rom northern China ended up

settling there and started to establish an agricultural

economy. The imperial government discouraged thiskind o living, but nally recognized it in 1799. In the

1800s, railways and industrialization brought many

Chinese immigrants to Jilin, but on the opposite end

o the spectrum, the industrialization

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Image source: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0623/p01s03-woap.html?s=hns

intrigued Russia and Japan and eventually got

conquered by the Japanese in 1931. In the 1960s,

heavy industry ended up taking over agriculture as the

main economic source. Instead, the province started

creating income rom automobile and locomotive

manuacturing plants, steel, chemicals, petroleum,

and other products.

The name Leieng comes rom a soldier with the

same name. He was born in 1940 into a poor amily.

Both his parents died at the very young age o six and

soon ater became a beggar on the street. In 1949,

liberation had come to his town and the government

began to take care o him. Ater he turned 16, Lei

Feng joined the Peoples Liberation Army. When he

was in the army, Lei studied many dierent tasks

and enjoyed and mastered everything that he did. In

1961, he was killed in an accident while on the job. To honor him, the army published his voluminous

diary.

When read by the nation, people started to nd

out that Lei Feng had dedicated himsel to helping

others and rarely looking out or himsel. He came

up with the motto: To live is to serve the people -

live to make others happy. This inspired many o

the younger ones. In 1962, Mao Zedong wrote an

inscription and proclaimed to the nation, Learn rom

Comrade Lei Feng. From that day on, many have

been inspired by what Lei Feng had done during his

lie and also how much Mao Zedong believed in what

Lei had done.


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Day in the Life

While researching, our team came across an article

that describes the daily lie o a small boy named Zhang

Guanghui that lives in Leieng. He is 11 years old, and lives

with his cousin. Both their parents died rom diseases

they contracted rom the water. They live in a our-room

concrete home, and have to take care o everything rom

washing their ace and hands to preparing ood. At their

young age they already have jobs in the village and the

responsibilities that come with them. Because money

and time are tight both o the boys drink dirty water that

they pump rom a well beneath the home. The untreated

water was never purged o the toxins that severely has

stunted their growth. Still, they drink the water, which

develops an oily lm just seconds ater it is pumped to

be used.

The Jing Quan rice-wine actory down the road is where

Zhangs mother worked or three months in 2002, etchingbottles by dipping them into hydrofuoric acid with only

rubber gloves or protection. This same actory dumped

ton upon ton o used acid into an unlined pit according

to court and government documents. The acid seeped

into the villages groundwater, poisoning the wells o

hundreds o amilies. Subsequent tests showed fuoride

levels in the water thousands o times higher than is

considered sae. Neither the actory nor

government has done any cleanup; water tests done

a year ago show pollution remains. There is no other

water source leaving the villagers no choice but to drink

this water everyday.

Market Assessment

Leieng is located in the Jilin Province o China and

is a relatively small village to which there are no

specic statistics regarding the villagers. Statistics

represented are those rom the Jilin Province itsel.

In 2004, there was a population total o 27 million.

The 2000 census recorded ve dierent nationalities

populating the area: Han Chinese, Koreans, Manchu,

Mongol, and Hui. The Han Chinese had a population

o 24,348,815 which made up about 90.85%

o the population, the Koreans had a population

o 1,145,688 which made up about 4.27%, the

Manchus had a population o 993,122 which made

up 3.71%, the Mongols had 172,026 which made

up 0.642%, and the Huis had 125,620 people which

made up 0.469% o the population.

The education system in Jilin is very modernized orit is made up o 4 dierent school systems, those o

which include 35 universities and institutes o higher

learning, 2,034 vocational schools, 1,951 middle

schools, and 9,435 primary schools. About 4.8%

o university graduates comprise Jilins population

which makes it seem as though there are not that

many high level jobs or educated people in Jilin.

In 2004, the GDP reached USD 36.69 billion, the

GDP per capita reached USD 1,130 and in 2003,

oreign trade was 6.17 billion. These statistics were

due to the main industries that comprise Jilin which

are automobile production, petrochemicals, and

agriculture.

Even when accumulating so much money into one

province, none o it is going towards helping the

village o Leieng so this makes or a good opportunity

to create an alternative water solution and income

source or the villagers.

Mules are used as a source o

transportation and labour.

Image source: www.DORS.Org/UK

Women washing clothes in pots by a

water source outside o the

village.

Image source: www.DORS.Org/UK


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Problem

The people o Leieng, China have no choice but

to consume unltered water that is ull o fuoride,

arsenic, and bacteria. The industries around the

village pollute the water source with waste. The

government has done little to establish pollution

guidelines or the industries, or providing some sort

o help to the villagers. Unable to aord any type o

ltration, the villagers are let with no choice but to

consume the deadly water supply that has killed

many older villagers and has let an entire youth

generation in great medical distress. The problem

is clear: empower the people o Leieng, China by

providing a means or them to lter their water supply

so that they can live a better lie.

Existing Solutions Research

The issue o clean water is not unique to Leieng.

Many other countries including other parts o China,

Arica, India, and even the United States suer rom

unsanitary water. There have been many products

produced to try and help this issue. From research

it was concluded that there were three categories

o water ltration products on the market today (let

bottom images). The rst, depicted by the blue water

storage tank, deals with natural disasters. In these

situations amilies need to be able to store water

in case help does not arrive or many days. These

storage containers are made out o plastic and are

sold in stores such as REI and can be ordered o o

the Red Cross website. Although this solution would

help out the villagers o Leieng, the containers are

expensive and manuactured with expensive plastics

and processes. The second type o product is the

personal water ltration system, depicted below bythe water bottle. These products ocus on providing

campers with a way to lter water in small amounts

or personal use. This type o solution is too small

or a amily and is not cost eective. The third type

o solution deals with expensive technology such as

carbon nanotube technology. These expensive lters

are state o the art and cannot be aorded by the

villagers. Through this research we began to see a

need or a water ltration device that is aordable,

long lasting, good or amily use, and appropriate to

the region.

Existing water fltration products.

Top image source: ht tp://shopping.msn.com/results/

Let image source: http://shopping.msn.com/results/shp/?bCatID=5590,av=12-4574494Bottom image source: Seldon Laboratories, LLC

Existing Filtration Methods Research

It was imperative to understand all o the ltration

methods available today. Knowing each o these

methods helped us to immediately gure out which

methods were best suited or the area, which

methods were too expensive such as UV Filtration,

and which methods ltered out the correct type o

bacteria that is ound in their water supply.


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6

Initial Ideas

Ater the initial research we began to brainstorm all

o the possible ways to resolve Leiengs problem.

The solutions depicted below were the strongest.

The rst solution dealt with attaching a lter to their

existing aucets. These type o lters are available

or relatively high costs to those more ortunate.

However, there is not a less-expensive alternative.

This concept would solve the problem o cleaning

the water but it does not have a way o storing water

or times when water is scarce. The second concept

dealt with a water storage container that would be

multi-unctional by providing water storage, water

ltration, water collection, and water distribution.

A fltration device that attaches to existing aucet fxtures.

A multi-unctional water storage container. It not only can be used to collect rainwater, but

also flters inside the container and stores enough water or the daily needs o a small amily.

Final Solution Development

The strongest concept was a water container that

collects, lters, and stores water. Although there

are products out on the market that do all o these

things, these products are not appropriate or Leieng

because they are costly and not intended or everyday

use, are made out o rotational molded plastic insquare shapes that are dicult to transport and do

not t the aesthetics o Leieng. The solution must

not only be unctional and t into its surroundings but

also create more value to the villagers by turning the

product into a small business that the villagers could

maintain or income.

Ater researching all o the ltration methods available

two seemed to rise to the surace: Clay Filtration and Activated Charcoal. The water in Leieng has high

amounts o fuoride, arsenic, and bacteria. Thereore,

the need to remove organic and inorganic substances

is key. Clay Filtration is an inexpensive method that

lters out inorganic substances by the use o a clay

pot that is made out o the clay ound in the region.

Potters or Peace is an NGO that specically helps

under developed villages produce these clay pot

lters. Activated Charcoal Filtration removes most

organic substances. Activated charcoal cannot be

made by the villagers and thereore needs to be

bought. Locally there is a company that producesactivated charcoal. With these two ltration methods

the water ltered will be sae to drink by all o the

villagers.

Clay pot flter and activated charcoal bits.

Top image source: www.potpaz.org/ppflters.htm

Bottom image source: www.activated-charcoal-carbon.com

Filtration


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One o the key actors to any successul product is

aesthetics. The existing plastic, box-shaped storage

containers would not t in to the environment o

Leieng. Existing art in the region is in the orm o red

pottery and porcelain. We looked to this or inspiration

to come up with the orm language. Chinese pottery

is very intricate in its detailing. The paintings ound

on each piece are unique and make the pottery more

special and more relevant to the culture it resides in.

More stout, at shapes in colors such as white, black

and green seemed to be preerred by the people in

the region. The use o color was introduced through

the intricate paintings done on the pottery.

Our goal was to assimilate Chinese pottery aesthetics

into a modern, unctional product. Some actors,

such as the necks o the pots, needed to be changed

in order to make the product more unctional. The

necks needed to be much wider in order to t the

ltration pot which sits inside the storage pitcher.

Other actors such as move-ability also changed the

orm. This product needs to be easily movable by

young children and the elderly. Thereore, the neck o

the pot became a place where hands could possibly

t around to lit. Other considerations included

size. The taller a vessel the easier it is to tip over.

Furthermore, there needed to be enough volume

to t enough water or three people. Each o these

unctional requirements needed to be seamlessly

blended into the overall orm creating a beautiul

product that is also very unctional.

Chinese pottery inspiration.

Image Source: Travelchinaguide.com

Inspiration Form

Mockups, middle orm was chosen as fnal direction.


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Final Solution

A household storage container that utilizes two ltration

methods to puriy the contaminated water: activated

charcoal, which removes organic substances rom the

water and is bought rom a local manuacturer, and

clay ltration which removes inorganic substances,

leaving the water 98.9% clean, which is made out o

the local clay. The netting and storage pot is made

by the villagers out o local materials. The pitcher

holds 1.5 gallons o water, which according to the

Red Cross is a sucient amount or a amily o threes

daily needs.


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Final Solution: Technology

Activated charcoal and clay ltration will be utilized

to remove 99.9% o all bacteria and particles rom

the water. The activated charcoal will be purchased

rom a local manuacturer: YIWU Import & Export

Co. Ltd. and the clay ltration pots will be made by

the villagers using their own soil with guidance rom

Potters or Peace.

Activated Charcoal: This sits inside the clay ltration

pot and removes all organic compounds. It will be

bought rom a local manuacturer.

Clay Filtration Pot: This pot sits inside the clay

storage pitcher. It is made by the villagers with help

rom Potters or Peace who will show the villagers

how to make these pots using their own soil.

Storage Clay Pitcher:This pitcher houses all o the

technologies and is red in the kiln in order or it to be

water tight. It will be made by the villagers. It can be

decorated in any way the villagers see tting to their

culture.

Netting: The netting holds the storage clay pitcher,

provides a cover or the clay ltration pot and a

handle or easy carrying. The netting will be made by

villagers using bought local materials.


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Business Model

The solution provides a viable way or the

villagers o Leieng to make money.

The process would begin with The Asian Development

Bank, which would serve as a microlender, lending

money to the villagers to buy the activated charcoal

and supplies or the netting. In the beginning the

villagers would also spend the

money on building a kiln and any other things that

they would need to begin their business. This may

include building a small actory.

The villagers would then get help rom Potters or

Peace, which is an NGO that works with under

developed villages and shows them how to create

clay ltration pots out o the soil that they have in

the area. The making o these ltration pots would

require labor, meaning that villagers could work aspotters.

Secondary potters would create the red pitchers

that the ltration pot sits in. These can be painted

and decorated how the village chooses.

There would also be villagers who would make the

netting that goes around the pot.

There would also be villagers that would serve as

buyers, buying the materials needed rom

surrounding industries and keeping track o what

supplies are running low.

There would also be villagers who would distribute

nished pitchers around their area and neighboring

villages.

This solution thereore not only provides clean

water, but creates many new jobs and brings money

into the village.

Complete business model.

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Conclusion

The Filtration Pot is a solution that not only

provides the Leieng villagers a way to clean their

water, but takes into consideration their bigger needs:

providing jobs, bringing money to the

village, and establishing a relationship between

local manuacturers and the village. The solution is

appropriate to the area by utilizing resources that the

villagers have and can get locally. Instead o giving

the villagers ltration pots that are ully made, we

have empowered them by giving them a solution that

will provide much more than its

inherent unction, but a source o survival. The product

is simple and easy to make and does a great job

o cleaning the water. This product will change the

villagers lie dramatically. It will help their population

thrive and succeed. The younger generation will

be able to grow up healthy and strong benetting

everyone in the village. This product will allow thevillage to create its own identity in the region by

being known by the community or having ltration

pitchers and by establishing an aesthetic that can be

painted onto these pitchers. The Filtration Pitcher is a

promising solution to those in need in Leieng China.

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