UNAM student develops greywater purifier

Edgar Nahum Rodríguez González

, a Mechanical Engineering student of the Engineering Faculty ( Facultad de Ingeniería abbreviated FI ) at the National Autonomous University of Mexico ( Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México abbreviated UNAM ), developed a greywater or sullage purifier that recycle the wastewater up to five times.

The Inter-American Development Bank ( IDB ) and the FEMSA Foundation announced that this innovation was one of the finalists of the 9th Edition of the Water and Sanitation Award for Latin America and the Caribbean .

The award ceremony will take place on November 14 during the 2017 Water and Development Congress of the International Water Association ( IWA ), in Buenos Aires , Argentina .

According to Rodríguez González, the sullage purifier aims to help poor communities in the country, especially during dry season.

UNAM student develops greywater purifier

With this innovation, it is possible to purify the wastewater generated in households or office buildings from sinks, showers, baths, clothes washing machines or dishwashers, except for the water with fecal contamination.

The wastewater passes through a sand filter to remove the soap and impurities it may contain, then after filtering, it goes to an ultraviolet light LED chamber and a mesh coated with titanium dioxide that separates hydrogen from the water molecule and produces highly reactive hydroxyl radicals that destroy bacteria, viruses, and even algae.

The purifier recycles the wastewater up to five times, but it would be necessary to use an additional filter in order to drink the water.

Rodríguez González will carry out pilot tests in Huautla de Jiménez , Oaxaca , one of the poorest communities in Mexico seeking to purify up to 200 liters a day.

At the moment, the purifier cost about MXN$ 5,000 but the student is aiming to approach either a company or institution for microcredit granting to make the purifier accessible to poor communities.

sg