When most students are on Facebook, they aren’t trying to advance awareness of post-earthquake Haiti. Fewer still are designing and coordinating a project to bring clean water to communities within the country. However, for a group of students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), that is exactly what they do.
The living conditions in Haiti are beyond compare. Three year old Tracy, pictured above, was found on the streets of Haiti suffering from malnutrition and a parasite. Dr. Marc Compere, ERAU assistant professor notes that “the harsh reality in Haiti is that living in a tent city and washing yourself in the same water used by animals is an everyday occurrence. Contaminated water creates a cycle of poverty for the Haitian people because the sick are often still in contact with the same water source that caused their sickness. They are therefore unable to get well and make a living.” Fortunately, Tracy’s life has been forever changed by the Ryan Epps Home for Children (REHC) and the students at ERAU.
One of the biggest issues with the water in Haiti is the proximity of latrines and animals to primary drinking sources. This leads to bacterial and viral contamination within the water, typically E. coli and sometimes cholera. UV filtration can deactivate all such bacteria and viruses.
This past summer, the students worked to install the water purification system at REHC in Michaud, a suburb of Port-Au-Prince, for the 200 children and staff. This goal required pumping water from a 135 ft. deep well, purifying the water at 10 gpm using sustainable solar power. This generates a maximum of 3,600 gallons per day assuming 6 hours of good solar conditions.
The students at ERAU used CATIA V5 for all the design work on the project. The solar panel system incorporates four 285 W solar panels for the well pump, six 250W panels to power the purifier, and sixteen 250W panels for general power for other facilities at REHC. The well pump runs completely off solar power and draws well water at 14 gpm. The well water is pumped into two 1000 gallon tanks for storage.
The purifier which runs at 10 gpm (3,600 gal/day) pumps into a 1000 gallon clean water storage tank. The system includes a Helix HD Disk Filter capable of removing particles down to 50 microns, and an Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane filter capable of removing pathogens larger than 0.1 microns. This is effective against all bacteria and some viruses. The heart of the system is the UV light that delivers a dose of UV strong enough to deactivate any virus found in Haiti. The system can also run continuously for 3 days on battery if the sun doesn’t shine. If power to the bulb were to fail, it would affect the lifespan of the bulb necessitating this battery set up. Overall, the water meets clean water standards from both the EPA and NSF.
To avoid the need to replace the UF filter frequently, air and purified water is periodically sent backwards through the filter to clean it through a process called backflush. By incorporating this back flow, the service life of the filtration system is extended to 4-6 years.
However, it isn’t enough to drop a new technology in an impoverished land and expect change. The Haitians needed to be trained, educated, and empowered to the importance and usage of the technology.
It is easier to design a system using readily accessible diesel power. However, this is an added cost to the microbusiness the students are hoping to create for the orphanage. By utilizing just solar power, the only regular cost is the yearly replacement of the $75 USD UV bulb. Solar power makes the business viable from a financial standpoint but their current challenge is making the water business culturally acceptable and ensuring the taste of the water is what the locals are used to. There is substantial competition and business growth is an ongoing effort.
Project Haiti is always looking for donations to fund their $39,000, 8 day trips to Haiti. They have successfully installed a water purification system in each of their four trips. They also like to keep their supporters updated via facebook.
Images and Video Courtesy of ERAU & Project Haiti (Tumblr and 2013 Trip Report).