Water Project
By Olivia Ligon
Why do people of the region you chose need a water purification system?
What is the biggest issue related to water facing the population?
Small Scale Purification System: Water Filter Straw
The method by which the filtration straw works is that it has iodine chemicals in it that kill bacteria and filters and charcoal that help remove large particles in the water.
The cost is around $15 per straw and only needs to be replaced around once per year so there are no long term costs.
Benefits of the water filter straw are that it is convenient and very portable and can be used without replacement for a year.
Disadvantages of the straw are that it only serves a small amount of people, the water filtered can only be used for drinking, and it doesn't help with water accessibility.
Medium Scale Purification System: Natural Filtration
The reason the natural filter works is that the different layers and densities of the natural resources used serve as different types of filters for the water.
It costs around $50 and it likely needs to be replaced once a month, but depending on the region one may be able to find the material for the filters in nature.
Advantages of the natural filter are that it is environmentally friendly, it serves a good amount of people and, is not limited to drinking water.
Disadvantages are that it needs to be replaced frequently, it is not instantaneous and not guaranteed to kill all bacteria, just filter out larger particles in the water.
Large Scale Purification System: Boiling Tubs
The method by which the boiling tubs works is that the boiling of the water kills the bacteria and the filters used after the boiling help to remove large particles from the water.
It would likely cost between $1000- $5000, but the machine would not need to be replaced for decades but the only upkeep that would be needed is the replacement of the membrane filters and the cost of cleaning.
Benefits of the boiling tubs are that it is not limited to drinking water, mass quantities of water can be filtered at a time which can be sufficient for a entire village and it remove nearly all harmful bacteria.
Disadvantages are that the initial cost is expensive, there is potential danger with the upkeep and it would need to be cleaned often.