News of Harbauer GmbH
Fluoride removal from fresh water at Lake Baringo in Kenya
Lake Baringo is a freshwater lake about 120 km north of the city of Nakuru in Kenya. Around the lake11 communities are located, with approx. 4,500 inhabitants. The lake is one of the main source of water in the region of Baringo County. It serves the population both for daily hygiene, washing their clothes, bathing and as a source of drinking water.
Besides bacterial impurities and turbidity, the water contains high concentrations of fluoride (F-). The high fluoride content in the water is due to geogenic sources, i.e. of natural origin. The fluoride dissolves from the volcanic rocks that formed the soils in the Rift Valley and thus enters the groundwater and surface waters. The concentration of between 4 - 8 mg/l exceed the WHO recommended limit for drinking water of 1.5 mg/l many times over.
Fluoride belongs to the so-called accumulation poisons. If it is ingested in increased concentrations over a longer period of time, for example in drinking water, it leads to skeletal and dental fluorosis. This leads to damage to the bone structure and to brownish discolouration of the teeth. In the region around the lake, there is hardly anyone who does not have brown teeth. Many people are severely restricted in their movement due to deformation of the bones and can only move with the help of a wheelchair.
A simple, inexpensive and effective solution to reduce the fluoride content in water is to pass it through filters with hydroxyl apatite (HAP) granules. In this way, the fluoride (F-) content can be reduced to the limit of 1.5mg/l recommended by the WHO.
Established in early 2021 in Nakuru, Harbauer Limited - Kenya (about 170 km north of Nairobi), produces synthetic hydroxyl apatite (HAP) and builds filtration systems for fluoride removal from groundwater and surface water.
The construction of a total of 11 filter plants is planned to supply the population with clean drinking water around Baringo Lake. The special filter material HAPaqua from Harbauer can be regenerated and reused after being loaded with fluoride. Two stations for regenerating the filter material are also planned.
At the beginning of December this year, Harbauer Limited Kenya received the order from a German Foundation for the first five of a total of eleven planned plants. The construction of the filter plants and the stations for regeneration are planned for 2022. The order for a further six filter plants is to be placed at the beginning of 2022.
If you would like to know more about the Baringo Lake project or our HAP special adsorbent, please contact us.