Ultrafiltration as an alternative membrane technology to obtain safe drinking water from surface water: 10 years of experience on the scope of the AQUAPOT project

Abstract Access to a sufficient quantity of water of adequate quality for human consumption is a global problem. Nowadays, among the 1 billion people estimated to lack access to improved water sources and sanitation worldwide, rural populations are disproportionately underserved. As a consequence, sustainable access to safe drinking water remains as an international target to be achieved before 2015, reflected in the Millennium Development Goals Declaration.Membrane’s technology and specifically Ultrafiltration (UF) represents an effective alternative to obtain safe drinking water, due to its ability to remove microbiological contamination from surface water. Since 1996, AQUAPOT international project, developed in the Polytechnic University of Valencia works with the aim to design a fully autonomous UF-water system characterized by its modularity, low-cost, easy automation and simple maintenance. The present paper describes main work developed inside AQUAPOT project in the last 10 years and the most relevant results obtained as a consequence of the application of this innovative technology in developing countries.