Solar powered water purification system

• Main Author: Liew, Jie Sheng.
• Other Authors: Li King Ho Holden
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/53436
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In today’s world, there are still many people out there who do not have access to safe and clean drinkable water. Water is a necessity in our daily lives and everyone should have the right to clean water. Solar powered water treatment system is still not widely used in the world today. Hence, we hope to tap on the solar power to provide energy to sustain a pumping system. As solar power is a form of cheap and sustainable energy, it can be used as a good platform to ensure that the poor have access to clean drinkable water. The idea is to have a system that is capable of providing quality drinkable water at a low cost. Not only does it have to be efficient, it has to be easily understood by the villagers as well. Research has been done thoroughly to ensure that all possibilities are covered throughout the project. Improvements to the designs have been made along the way to ensure that the water treatment system is both reliable and effective. Finally, the water treatment system consists of a solar powered pumping system, and a Bio-sand filter (to be installed in individual household). Results of the experiment have shown the effectiveness of the sand filter in delivering quality drinking water that is free of bacteria. Proper calculations have been done to ensure that the scaled up version is capable of serving a village of 80 families. In addition, cost estimation for the project has been done to find out the initial investment cost for the entire project. To conclude, a solar powered water treatment system is a possible solution to the water crisis in the rural regions. Although the initial investment might be steep, the cost will eventually run out along the years. The system proposed in this project will be able to help the less fortunate gain access to clean water; hence improving their lives for the better.