FILTER
Modular System
The project aims to use conventional filters and membranes to purify water by pressurizing the water using a hydraulic cylinder and passing them through the filters to obtain sterile drinking water.
Existing non-electric filters were reverse-engineered and it was concluded the filters were not cost-effective, they had to be checked every 3 days and cannot be used to remove salinity and hardness.
The project was divided into 4 modules for accessibility and ease of replacement.
Module 1: Apparatus to induce pressure/flow rate across the water storage unit to allow pressure buildup in filters.It mainly consisted of a wrench, a hydraulic cylinder, and a plunger.
Module 2: Water Storage Unit which contains impure water from the source.It was made up of stainless steel to avoid rusting due to numerous impurities present in the source water.
Module 3: It consisted of 4 filters for every size of the filtration process in the reverse osmosis filter.
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Microfiltration (microfiltration ranges from about 0.1 to 10 μm )
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Ultrafiltration (membranes with pore sizes in the range of 0.1 to 0.001 micron)
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Nanofiltration (membranes have pore sizes from 1-10 nanometers)
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Reverse Osmosis Membrane (pore size range of 0.0001 – 0.001 um)
Module 4: a clean water storage unit.
Conclusion
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The mechanical water filtration system was developed for 4000 INR which was half the price of the closest competition. After using the filtration, the water was tested for TDS resulting in 75% efficiency.
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Scope of improvement: The drop in efficiency can be accounted for the lack of proper pressure created by the hydraulic system and with proper tolerances, it could be achieved.