Clean Water: Is There a Solution?
Chemical Engineering III
Defining the Scope of the Problem
Introduction
• Problems with Unsafe Water
– Lack of sanitation kills more people than all forms
of violence, including war
– Worldwide, children in rural areas that don’t have
clean water are especially affected because their
bodies aren’t strong enough to fight illnesses
• 90% of the 30,000 deaths that occur every week from
unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions are of
children under five years old
Shortage of Water
• People in rural communities
often need to walk for miles
every day to the nearest
water source
– Time spent walking and the
resulting diseases keep them
from work, school, and taking
care of their families
• In developing countries,
dehydration from illness
and lack of water accounts
for about 2 million deaths
per year
Group Research
Possible Solutions
Solution 1: Treatment System
• 5 step water treatment system
– Coagulation
– Sedimentation
– Filtration
– Disinfection
– Corrosion Control
Step 1: Coagulation
• Water from reservoir drawn into large basins
at treatment plant
• Alum, lime, CO2 , and polymer added to the
water
• These chemicals cause small particles in water
to coagulate and form larger particles
Steps: 2 and 3
• Sedimentation
– Large particles fall to bottom of basin where they
are removed
• Filtration
– Water is pushed through small particles such as
sand and coal
– This removes smaller particles from the water
Steps: 4 and 5
• Disinfection
– Disinfectant added to the water to protect against
viruses and bacteria that may be present
• Corrosion Control
– pH is balanced by alkaline metals to control
corrosion of plumbing in city, businesses and
homes
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
• It has been proven to work
over many years.
• Take into consideration pH
and the plumbing of the city
Weaknesses
• Very archaic way of treating
water
• Microbes can easily pass
through Sedimentation and
filtration
Solution 2: Boiling
• Heat the contaminated water until the water
reaches a point where the microbes in the
water are killed by the heat
• Most microbes are killed under 100⁰ C,
however boiling the water also removes many
gasses from the water
Pros & Cons
Strengths
• Simple and cheap process
• Can be done practically
anywhere
Weaknesses
• Longer boiling time required
when altitude is over sea
level by 5000 feet
• “Hard water” causes
calcium deposits on
equipment
• Boiled water stored for long
periods of time grows
bacteria again
• Lacks sustainability
Solution 3: Reverse Osmosis (RO)
• Reverse Osmosis
– Semi-permeable membrane created to filter water
through.
– An impure solution is pushed through the
membrane and pure water comes out.
– Like filtration method but more thorough.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
• Most effective for large
scale purifying
• Easy to create the
membrane used for this
method
Weaknesses
• Without proper care the
membrane can become
easily clogged with algae
and bacteria
• Membrane can easily rip or
break
• Most expensive
Proposed Solution
Our Solution
• We will be using proposed solution number 1,
the Five Step Water Treatment System
• This process consists of Coagulation,
Sedimentation, Filtration, Disinfection, and
Corrosion Control
Process Diagram
Why We Chose This Solution
• We chose this solution because it has been proven to
work over many years
• This solution also takes into consideration pH and the
plumbing of the city, so it can be customized to work
best for the situation it is being used in
• The process is sufficiently sustainable (discussed next
slide) and cost effective
Is This Process Sustainable?
• Chlorine and other chemicals used to disinfect
the water can corrode pipes and taint the
water
– Therefore, stainless steel pipes will be used in
order to limit this
– Equipment always has a functional life and will
eventually need to be replaced
Applicability
• This process is already in place for most largescale water purification operations
• We will stress the importance of stainless steel
piping to limit water impurities
Conclusion
• Water is becoming increasingly polluted and
fresh water is becoming more scarce.
• As poor countries have difficulty finding clean
water, alternatives developed to unsure
humanity has safe water to drink.
• These alternatives include water treatment
system, boiling, and reverse osmosis.
• Each way is effective and can help reduce
world thirst for years to come.
Conclusion
• With the Better Place Project, we applied our
engineering curriculum to a global problem
• We wrote this PowerPoint similar in a lab
report format in order to develop our
technical writing skills
• This solution is a viable option that is both
cost effective and sustainable
Questions?
• Please ask us any questions at the GBC ceremony!
Student Reflections
Student Reflections
• “I learned that it is important to make sure everyone's voice is
heard. Each member of the group is valuable and their opinion and
wisdom is needed to make the best project.” Lauren Lamping
• Through our Better Place Project, I learned there is "a need, a need
for clean water." I also learned we need to give people in need
"water they can't refuse." With our research, we found that people
can "say hello, to a little clean water!“ Blake Boswell
• “I enjoyed the time we spent working in a group. I liked the
discussions we held and how everyone did their part in creating our
project. Everyone put forth ideas on what our project could be and
it showed that we were interested in our field. It was great working
with people who have the same career goals in life.” Melissa Kohne
• “While working on the better place project with my
learning community, I learned how fortunate we are to
have constant access to clean water. I had no idea how
much of our population suffers or die because of lack of
sanitary water. After researching and seeing the data, it
opened my eyes to a large issue within our world that I
hope to one day, as a chemical engineer, help to find a new
and more efficient solution.” Kelly Louie
• “Really, the most significant part of the entire program was
just making a few good friends. That’s what I took away, for
the most part.” Saif Aijaz
• “What I got out of this experience was a group of people
who I could go to for homework help and study sessions. I
am grateful for that.” Jason Hughes