Designing a Water Purifier Using Shortwave Ultraviolet Light
Session Number
J07
Advisor(s)
Mark Carlson, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Location
A-129
Start Date
28-4-2016 8:25 AM
End Date
28-4-2016 8:50 AM
Abstract
Despite the existing methods of water purification, over 1.1 billion people do not have access to potable water. The purpose of this investigation was to design an ultraviolet light filter that produces 40 liters of water per day at a 99.9% kill rate, uses minimal power, costs less than $20, and is simple to operate. The initial design involved a siphon that transferred water into a light exposure chamber and killed more than 99.99% of Escherichia coli. However, this filter was difficult to operate, so a second prototype was built. Instead of a traditional siphon, a partial vacuum inside the exposure chamber draws contaminated water from a reservoir. This design was tested with various flow rates and tubing sizes to maximize the kill rate while maintaining a large output of clean water. The prototype, when run at 40 L/day, kills at least 99.7% of bacteria and has a power draw of 0.9 Watts. Future steps include confirming results, further increasing kill rate, and minimizing cost and power draw. The effect of nucleotide excision repair, the process in which damaged DNA is removed, will also be explored to determine the purifier’s long-term efficiency.
Designing a Water Purifier Using Shortwave Ultraviolet Light
A-129
Despite the existing methods of water purification, over 1.1 billion people do not have access to potable water. The purpose of this investigation was to design an ultraviolet light filter that produces 40 liters of water per day at a 99.9% kill rate, uses minimal power, costs less than $20, and is simple to operate. The initial design involved a siphon that transferred water into a light exposure chamber and killed more than 99.99% of Escherichia coli. However, this filter was difficult to operate, so a second prototype was built. Instead of a traditional siphon, a partial vacuum inside the exposure chamber draws contaminated water from a reservoir. This design was tested with various flow rates and tubing sizes to maximize the kill rate while maintaining a large output of clean water. The prototype, when run at 40 L/day, kills at least 99.7% of bacteria and has a power draw of 0.9 Watts. Future steps include confirming results, further increasing kill rate, and minimizing cost and power draw. The effect of nucleotide excision repair, the process in which damaged DNA is removed, will also be explored to determine the purifier’s long-term efficiency.