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Sustainable Water Purification
The AguaClara Project, run by Cornell University in the country of Honduras, offers clean water to thousands of people in an excellent example of what they refer to as open source engineering.
Cornell University engineers bring clean water to thousands of Hondurans
by Waterman on Puroserve.com
In 1804, Robert Thom perfected the first water treatment facility in Scotland using slow sand filtration. 200 years later, a simplified version of this process, designed to be both sustainable and affordable, is making its way to the developing world. In 2005, AguaClara, a student-based research team within the Cornell Environmental Engineering Program, partnered with Honduran non-profit Agua Para el Pueblo (AAP), and made clean water a reality in Honduras.
The crucial component to the AguaClara technology is its simplicity and cost effectiveness. The team of Cornell engineers under the lead of Dr. Monroe Weber-Shirk, were able to create a technology comprised of low-cost filters and chemical treatments harnessing natural gravitational forces rather than expensive electrical currents. The five plants currently installed in small towns throughout Honduras are built with local materials, operated by local people, and cost residents less than $2 a month for clean potable drinking water. Read the rest of this entry »
