Annual Report 2006 - Plataforma Solar de Almería

ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS OF SOLAR ENERGY
and biodegradability of the effluent, new automation methods and process
control, and evaluating the influence of effluent salinity.
Objectives achieved in 2006: The project began in November 2006, and has
not yet generated relevant results.
4.2.5 SODISWATER
Solar disinfection of drinking water for developing countries
or emergency situations. http://www.rcsi.ie/sodis/
Participants: RCSI (Coord., IR), UU (UK), CSIR (S. Africa), EAWAG (CH),
IWSD (Zimb.), CIEMAT-PSA (ES), Ul (UK), ICROSS (Kenya), USC (E).
Contact:
Dr. Kevin McGuigan, kmcguigan@rcsi.ie
Dr. Pilar Fernández-Ibáñez, pilar.fernandez@psa.es
Funding: EC, 6 th FP. Specific measures in support of international co-operation
“INCO”. 1,900 k€. CIEMAT Budget: 350 K€.
Duration: September 2006 – August 2009
Motivation: The main purpose of this Project is to demonstrate that the SO-
DIS technology (“Solar Disinfection) for solar-only disinfection of drinking water
is an effective tool against diseases communicated by domestic water (in
developing countries) and as an aid in natural disasters. Solar disinfection is a
water depollution technique that commonly uses transparent plastic bottles
full of water exposed to direct solar radiation for 6-8 hours. This process reduces
the levels of fecal contamination of 1 million bacteria per ml to zero in
less than 1.5 hours and is completely effective in treatment of pathogens responsible
for such diseases as cholera, dysentery, typhus, giardiasis, salmonellosis,
gastroenteritis and poliomyelitis. The only clinical test to date for this
technology, carried out in a community in Kenya, has demonstrated that children
under 5 years of age who drank SODIS-treated water were 7 times less
likely to contract cholera than those who did not. There are no limitations to
SODIS applications in high solar radiation areas (e.g. Africa), and its cost is
practically nil as the only material required is transparent plastic bottles.
Purpose: The project is basically focused on Sub-Saharan Africa. Its strategic
objectives are the following:
• Demonstrate SODIS as a suitable and effective technique for making
contaminated water fit for human consumption in small communities in
developing countries that do not have easy access to “safe water”. Its
application is equally effective in natural catastrophes or accidents that
place access to drinking water in jeopardy.
• Test and evaluate strategies for changing behavior and spreading information
about SODIS as a drinking water treatment technique in
zones with different sociocultural profiles.
• Communicate the results of project research through international aid
organizations (to developing countries and victims of catastrophes) so
SODIS is recommended as a quality measure for intervention meeting
water treatment standards (e.g., filtration, chlorination, desalination,
etc.).
• Development of a series of technological improvements in the SODIS
process, based on the use of ultraviolet disinfection dose indicators,
solar-radiation activated photocatalysts and solar collector modules
(CPCs). to be used depending on socio-economic conditions
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