# Optimizing filter bed depth using local material for efficient and cost-effective water filtration in developing countries
> Bakri B.

URL kanonis: https://discover.unhas.ac.id/publications/pub_scopus_105033636758
Jurnal / Konferensi: Applied Water Science
Tahun terbit: 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-026-02818-w
ISSN: 21905487
Kuartil SJR: Q1
Citations: 0

## Authors
- Bakri B.

## Abstract
Many developing countries continue to face challenges in ensuring access to safe drinking water. The selection of appropriate filter media is crucial to ensure cost-effective and safe drinking water. Inexpensive local materials, such as sand, activated carbon, and zeolite, offer efficient and cost-effective alternatives for filter media in developing countries. The recent studies have identified Malimpung Sand from Pinrang Regency as a promising local alternative in South Sulawesi. This study aims to further investigate the effectiveness of Malimpung sand as filter media and determine the optimal depth of a combination of Malimpung sand and zeolite. Filter media combinations included Malimpung sand and zeolite at varying depths of 0.15 m, 0.1 m, and 0.05 m for both, resulting in nine filter depth combinations. Filtration simulations were conducted in the laboratory using 400 L of water with an initial turbidity of 100 NTU and total suspended solids (TSS) of 80 mg/L for each filter depth combination. The filtration time for each combination was set to a maximum of 360 min, with water volume and quality recorded every 2 min. Results indicate that the combination of 0.1 m sand and 0.15 m zeolite delivers the best hydraulic performance and the most significant reduction in turbidity and TSS. This study demonstrates that variations in filter depth have a significant impact on both hydraulic performance and the reduction of turbidity and TSS, thereby providing a valuable reference for developing countries to utilize effective, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable local materials as filtration media.

## Keywords
- Filtration (mathematics)
- Filter (signal processing)
- Environmental science
- Developing country
- Environmental engineering
- Process engineering
- Petroleum engineering
- Water treatment
- Hydrogeology
- Filtering theory
- Engineering
- Waste management
- Industrial and production engineering
- Slow sand filter
- Materials science

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Sumber: Discover Unhas — RIMS Universitas Hasanuddin.
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