AN INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFICIENCY OF LOCALLY AVAILABLE MATERIALS IN DRINKING WATER TREATMENT UNDER DIFFERENT OPERATING CONDITIONS

Over the past few centuries, advances in water treatment technology have safeguarded human health against pollutants and diseases. Technologies that are affordable and appropriate for developing nations need to be taken into consideration since over a billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water. It is necessary to think about the sustainable functioning of these treatment procedures, taking into account easily maintained systems and materials that are readily available locally. Public health depends on having access to clean drinking water, particularly in areas with few resources. The usefulness of locally accessible materials in water treatment procedures is investigated in this work. The objective of this study was to assess the efficiency of treatment processes using locally available materials and to evaluate the impact of operating conditions on the performance of the treatment processes. In coagulation and flocculation, the capacity of locally obtained coagulants, like carica papaya seeds, hibiscus sabdarifa seeds, and alum to eliminate suspended particles was assessed. The best doses, pH ranges, and mixing speed were examined. The effectiveness of coagulation was evaluated by turbidity measurements that were obtained after running the samples on a jar test apparatus. The operating conditions that were evaluated were pH 2, 6, and 10, coagulant dose of 5ml,10ml, and 25ml, and mixing speeds of 120 RPM, 160 RPM, and 200 RPM. Adsorption and Filtration which involved the removal of organic pollutants was evaluated using corn con and bamboo biochar and GAC as adsorbents that were used as systems for filtering out particles. The operating conditions that were used in this process were the adsorbent volume of 0.5L, 1L, and 1.5L, activated biochar, and non-activated biochar. On Disinfection, water samples were disinfected using local basil, ginger, and chlorine. Chlorine was used as a reference disinfectant to compare the efficiency of locally available material. The operating conditions that were used were pH, disinfectant dose, and contact time. Data analysis for the study was done through Microsoft Excel and SPSS which involved the use of graphs and tables.
All things considered, this study sheds light on the usefulness of utilizing locally accessible resources for water purification and how they work best at specific operating conditions as the viability of employing locally sourced resources was taken into account by looking at the sustainability and Cost-Effectiveness of the materials that were used. This highlights low cost, long-lasting, and situation-specific community-level solutions. This research also shows a potential of positively contributing to the sustainable development goal number 6 achievement and the Malawi Vision 2063, by providing cost-effective and sustainable solutions and improving access to water for communities.