Fabrication of potable and eco-friendly solar disinfection (sodis) unit and its performance analysis

Abstract

Solar disinfection (SODIS) is a technique, which involves utilization of solar energy to make safe drinking water from biologically contaminated water. In the conventional SODIS method, the PET bottles are filled with polluted water and exposed to the sunlight for a certain period depending upon the local weather conditions. However much more effective disinfection system is needed to overcome the problems of inefficient utilization of available solar energy and the health risk posed by treating the water using chemicals during the purification process.  Hence, the present work aims in designing a portable solar disinfection unit that can efficiently use solar energy by manually adjusting the unit according to sunlight availability. Along with it, incorporation of the additional eco-friendly unit with water purifying plants Vetiveria zizanioides (Vetiver) and Hemidesmus indicus (Nannari) is done to achieve high efficiency in producing potable water from biologically contaminated water. The contaminated water samples treated in the solar disinfection unit and eco-friendly water purifying unit are analyzed for the presence of total coliforms and E-coli by using the Most probable Number method and P/A analysis, respectively. A reduction in 99.74% of total coliform count and absence of E-coli was observed in the treated water samples.  The physicochemical analysis was carried out to ensure the suitability of treated water for consumption and the results revealed a notable reduction in the parameters, and all the parameters came under the permissible range of IS drinking water characteristics. The designed system can be used to disinfect the contaminated water sample most efficiently, thereby making the water suitable for consumption.