In News
CSIR-CMERI have come up with development of an integrated, low-cost, commonly available multi-adsorbent based community level (high flow rate) water purification system for effective and simultaneous removal of fluoride and iron (below WHO permissible limit) in an efficient manner from contaminated water.
Features of the Water Purification Technology
- Three FRP (Fibre Reinforced Plastic) made vessels of specific dimensions have been set up: Chamber-I (oxidation chamber), Chamber-II (Iron removing filter) and Chamber-III (Fluoride removing filter).
- The first FRP make vessel (Chamber-I) is for rapid removal of precipitated iron. The next one (Chamber-II) is one of the most crucial chambers for removal of the left over iron from the contaminated water. In final stage fluoride will be removed from contaminated ground water by ‘fluoride removal unit’ (Chamber-III), where the adsorbents will fulfill the purpose of fluoride mitigation.
- The oxidation chamber contains manganese oxide enriched ores within the permissible limit, which act as an oxidising agent (screens out metal contaminants like Fe2+).
- The Iron removal filter contains naturally abundant low cost adsorbent materials such as gravels and treated sand of specific diameter.
- The Fluoride removal filter also contains several low cost adsorbent materials viz. activated alumina, ferrite impregnated activated alumina (FIA, a patented product from CMERI) and zinc impregnated activated charcoal (patented product from CMERI) in a sequential manner to mitigate the residual fluoride from groundwater.
- A hypochlorite dosing pump with dosing in proper proportions and micron filter are installed in line with the mentioned vessels for disinfection of targeted contaminated water. Hypochlorite is used in permissible range in place of chlorine gas for safety reasons.
- The developed plant is successfully able to mitigate iron from an initial concentration of ~9 ppm to less than 0.3 ppm (safe limit of Fe as per WHO guideline) and fluoride from initial ~12 ppm to <1.5 ppm (safe limit of F- as per WHO guideline).