United Nations
Industrial Development Organization
Investment and Technology Promotion Office, Tokyo
Energy and Environment related technologies and solutions:
Remove heavy metals in drinking water
Company data
| Name | KAWATOKU CO., LTD |
| Address | 8-26, Kita-Okinosu, 1-chome, Tokushima-shi, Tokushima 770-0872, Japan |
| Capital | ¥3,000,000 |
| Contact person | Hirofumi Sugano, Telephone +81-88-664-8238 Fax +81-88-664-6731 E-mail kawatoku@ivy.ocn.ne.jp |
| Number of employees | 4 |
| Date of company foundation | September 2008 |
| The type of business | Simplified water purification system |
International operation
| Number of employees for international operation(including overseas operation, if any) | 1 | |
| Overseas offices* | ||
* Overseas offices of alliance members and/or consortium members are also accepted.
Modality of business transaction
Mark , if applicable |
Mode of business | Brief description |
| Direct Investment | ||
 |
Partnership | Technical guidance in cooperation with the local firm, establishment of a joint venture corporation, and business development. |
|
Export of product | In a phased manner |
| Licensing of patent |
Technology data
| Name of technology | Flocculating agent to remove heavy metals contained in drinking water | |
| Field of the technology | Major category: Prevention and destruction of pollution |
Sub-category: Land water, Soil and underground water |
| Conceivable applications | Purification of turbid water into drinkable water by removing heavy metals, such as iron, arsenic, and fluorine. | |
| Performance | This technology reduces heavy metal contents, such as iron, arsenic and
fluorine, and purifies turbidity at low cost. The technology is based on flocculent settling, and can work without electricity. Turbid water can be agitated manually, by hand. This technology can be installed in existing tanks made of any materials. The cost depends on the quality of the local water to be processed. Analysis of the local water is necessary. The element of the additive is determined according to the water analyses data. Devices are simple and need very little maintenance. Past records of the water treatment are as follows: Turbidity; 4.5 ppm -> less than 0.5 ppm Turbidity; 0.48 % -> less than 0.5 ppm Iron contents; 10.7 ppm -> 0.27 ppm Arsenic; 8 ppb -> 3 ppb Fluorine; 4.92 ppm -> 1.31 ppm There is no limit for the amount of water to be processed. When there is little water to be processed, the manually operated stir pump is not necessary. The upper limit for the amount of water in one tank is 5 cubic meters (5 tons) with a manually operated stir pump. If two or more water tanks are arranged and set up, our equipment can process more than 5 cubic meters (5 tons) of water. |
|
| Technical maturity | In Tanzania, fluorine content in the well water often exceeds
the standard of the WHO, even when people are careful to select a
location to dig a well. We keep making an effort so that people in
Tanzania are helped by removing fluorine from the well water.
In Myanmar, a Non-Profit Organization requested our company’s help to secure enough water at a medical treatment facility. Our air lift stir machine and flocculating agents successfully operated to secure enough water for medical use, such as washing hands. |
|
| Competitive advantage | To the best of our knowledge, there is no company offering a technology
at this point that can remove iron, arsenic, and fluorine at a lower cost
than our company can. No need for electric power. Simple device. |
|
| Conceivable risk | Flocculating agents are harmful if inhaled or swallowed beyond certain levels. It is advisable to keep flocculating agents away from humidity. The sediments generated from this process should be treated as a waste according to local laws and regulations for waste treatment. |
|
| Information on patent related to this technology | Nothing | |
Schematic illustration of the technology
Overview of the system with equipment for the water treatment process
(in the case of the water in a well)
1) Please clean the inside of the water tank to get drinking water.
2) Please put the water in the water tank.
3) Our technology can operate with any kind of water tank. Please use the existing one.
4) There is no problem even if the water tank is made of concrete, stainless steel, or polyethylene.
5) Please choose the size of the manually operated stir pump and water tank according to the volume of water used.
6) Please put flocculants in the water tank with water in the proper quantity(Please put about 150-300 gram in the water of 1 cubic meter. ).
Overview of the system with equipment for the water treatment process
(in the case of the river water or lake water)
Steps 1) to 6) are the exactly same procedure to the case of the water in a well.
7) The hypochlorite soda sterilizes miscellaneous germs included in the water of rivers, lakes and marshes.
8) Please use the product normally used in each country as a sterilizer, though hypochlorite soda is generally used in Japan.
9) Please put flocculants in the water tank with water in the proper quantity(Please put about 150-300 grams in 1 cubic meter of water. ).
Picture of the pump
- Our company produces the manually operated stir pump as an apparatus to stir the water of the water tank.
- The water in the water tank is stirred by turning the handle of the manually operated stir pump.
- In the pump, water is spiraled up or down with the help of a screw.
- Even women, children, and the elderly can easily turn the handle.
- It is very hard to be broken.
- The pump can be prepared according to the size of the water tank used.
Stir, cohesion, and precipitation
1) Please stir the water in the water tank with the manually operated stir pump.
2) After a few minutes, the stirred water is separated to purified water and sediments.
3) Please dip the purified water for use.
4) The accumulated sediments can be removed through the valve on the bottom of the tank.
5) Please process sediments as waste when iron, arsenic, and fluorine are contained.
6) The sediments generated from this process should be treated according to local laws and/or regulations for waste treatment.
About flocculating agents
Our flocculating agents are manufactured by adding a safe additive as food based on PGα21ca made from the bacillus natto that is a product of Nippon Poly-Glu Co.,Ltd. Because of the iron, the arsenic, and fluorine cannot be removed, and other flocculating agents cannot be used.
About the cost
It is not predicable because it depends on the quality of local water. For reference, a manually operated stir pump for a 1000-liter water tank costs 250,000 yen. The flocculating agents for 20 kilograms cost from 25,000 to 30,000 yen. However, this is the price for delivery in Japan.
Comparison of original turbid water with treat water
