A Kleinman sponsored project received one of two honorable mentions at the Electrical and Systems Engineering Department Senior Design Demo Day earlier this month. Team members Anthony Dilenno, Nicolas Griffiths, Jorge Martinez, Jeffrey Ng and James Park (all SEAS ’16) worked with Professor Jorge Santiago to design an inexpensive, sustainable water purification system for use in Gashora, Rwanda.
Africa lacks both freshwater sources and the infrastructure to move freshwater to large segments of the population, in particular those living in remote areas. The design team made sure to use simple, easily replaceable, low-maintenance and inexpensive materials. Their solar-powered filter has a two-part purification system: a physical filter that removes visible particles from the water and a UV light chamber that cleans the water of bacteria. To test the system, the team used samples from nearby lakes that have similar water quality and bacterial content to lakes around Gashora.