Australian researchers have designed a low-cost drinking water treatment system using foil chip packets and some glass tubing.
The system, developed by University of Adelaide mechanical engineering students, makes use of UVA radiation directly from the sun to kill pathogens in the water in a continuous feed facility that can be made from improvised materials.
“Worldwide, 780 million people still don’t have access to safe and clean water for drinking, cooking or washing,” said Dr Cristian Bir zer, lecturer in the School of t Mechanical Engineering, who supervised the students with Dr Peter Kalt.
“It’s estimated that 1.5 million people -90% of them children -die every year from consuming un treated or contaminated water,” Birzer said.
The team worked with ChildFund Australia to learn about local conditions in the Papua New Guinea highlands.
“We wanted something where we could provide design guidelines and let the local communities build and install their own systems using readily available materials,” said Birzer.
