In Argentina solar powered water purification
The Faculty of Engineering, UBA
team designed a low-cost isolated rural housing that eliminates germs, metals and arsenic
Students during a field test. Nora Bär
THE NATION
All agree that a water pipe over the health of a population that advances in medicine. Unfortunately, even today, in Argentina there are vast regions that lack a potable water distribution ...
precisely to meet the needs of people living in these areas, where in general not only lack the water supply, but also electricity, a team of teachers and students of the Faculty of Engineering, UBA (FIUBA) has developing and patenting a computer running water purifier solar energy. It is inexpensive and requires almost no maintenance.
"As ours is a department of education and development of new technologies, it seemed important to us to apply our knowledge to the resolution of social needs," says Dr. Fernando Audebert, CONICET researcher and director of the Department of Mechanical FIUBA, and the Centre for Research, Development and Innovation in Engineering and Industrial Design (Cididi).
explains, although half of Argentina's territory that extends north receives plenty of sunlight, not many developments designed to seize it.
"To produce solar energy there are two alternatives: the technology of photovoltaic cells, advanced in the world, and thermal technology as that used in the fruit-drying Audebert details. For the purification of water, we had another way. We study the situation of the poor of Santiago del Estero and did field trials in Colonia Dora and Añatuya. There, the dispersed population reaches 40%. The families live in isolated huts, without electricity, walking miles to fill buckets of 200 liters with water from rivers, streams or wells, and that is the water they consume. "
is an area of little rain and salty lands. Worse, many times the water is contaminated with salts, heavy metals, pathogenic microorganisms and arsenic.
The effects of this element on the body are known since the Renaissance (it is said that the Borgia and Medici used it to poison their enemies.) When ingested in low doses for a long time, from skin problems due to cardiovascular, hepatorenal neurological, respiratory and blood. It can also cause birth defects and cancer. At home, Dr. Mario Goyenechea, Rosario, introduced in 1913 the first two cases in which certified the consequences of hydroarsenicism Chronic endemic regional (HACR). Is a health concern in the Chaco, Córdoba, Formosa, La Pampa, Buenos Aires, Salta, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán.
"As the waters often contain salts, the people choose the sweeter taste, which ironically are the ones that have a higher content of arsenic-account Audebert. So how do you help them? Because no technology is "great" (ie those used for whole nations) that can be used to solve the problem of isolated ranch. "
was how they imagined a device that does not require maintenance or electricity, and to respect the traditional customs and practices. "Ultimately, what this team is a double distillation process, which increases the efficiency of water production and removes all types of pollutants-resume. Circulates inside a liquid circuit, which is the heats and transfers heat, and the water goes out. After warming up, going to a higher batting which is suffering from something similar to the greenhouse effect, it condenses and enters a gutter (coated with titanium dioxide, an element that produces a catalytic reaction that kills microorganisms). These lead to the clean water tank. To allow irradiation water, instead of a common glass used a type of polymer that passes ultraviolet rays. "
calculated according to its creators, the cost of this equipment could range between 3000 and 5000 pesos. "If the municipalities are involved, this technology could rapidly spread," concludes the researcher.
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