Zeolite filters and ashes instead of soap

The Pjorkkala design collective was founded in 2021 by a group of industrial design students at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana: Jean Girandon, Pia Groleger and Luka Pleskovich. They are engaged in the processing of traditional materials with modern technologies, including a water filter from 3D printed clay.

“We officially started working with the project Dodolaimed at considering the problems of the water environment and our water relationship. It is a ceramic water filter intended for remote areas that do not have monitored water captures. Since then, we have carried out three more filter iterations, the first was water filtration along the Mtkvari River (Kura), where we collaborated with Floating University in Berlin. The filtration device was a vertical system where the water was filtered using ceramic filters, then went over layers of stones and sand, a layer of activated charcoal and eventually gathered in a drinker. Passers -by, at their own risk, can be drunk water. The second iteration happened at the Residence at the Martell Foundation, where in addition to clay, we used a local organic residue – grape tropics – to produce filters. The third iteration happened last year when we worked with artist Miha Godac and for his off grid project X-Mobil designed a filter part. « 

In addition to the aforementioned, they are also involved in market -more interesting but smaller projects such as a container Smoked For rising, baking and storing bread developed at the Rog Center. It is also worth mentioning the project Sponge – From the sponges, the old parachute and the cerads, they formed a portable seat for a wine bar curse. « We are dealing primarily with conceptual projects that are not so market -oriented but remind and raise awareness of the problem, especially the water environment. »

Zeolite as an ion exchanger

The Milan Design Curatorial Group joined the PJORKKALA with a proposal to design a project similar to the one along the Mtkvari River. “After all participants were selected, we found that the need for water to wash would appear at the location, as many workshops would be held during the Milan Design Week. We wanted to take the opportunity to test principles that we have never tested in practice. We designed a circular water system with dirty water across the layer of broken ceramics and sand into the reservoir, and then, using a water pump, is transported to a glass cylinder containing zeolite filters and where the second part of the filtration occurs. Zeolite is a material that acts as an ion exchanger and is used to remove organic compounds, heavy metals and radioactive substances. From the glass tube, the user opens the pin with a knife pressure and has clean water to wash his hands. Due to the sensitivity of the clogging of the filters, sifted ash is available for washing hands instead of soap. This is a technique of cleaning the hands they used to use. « 

The invitation to the Milan Design Week was an incentive for the collective to create something new. “The curatorial group also gave us a lot of freedom, so we could really do whatever we had imagined, of course within the frames given. We may be precisely because of cooperation on Material concluded the following collaboration and made the fifth version of the water filter. «