High density polyethylene (HDPE) containers as an alternative to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles for solar disinfection of drinking water in northern region, Ghana

The purpose of this study is to investigate the technical feasibility of high density polyethylene (HDPE) containers as an alternative to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles for the solar disinfection of drinking water in the Northern Region of Ghana, in a process know as SOLAIR. This study is in line with the intention of Pure Home Water, a registered non-profit organization in Ghana, to offer a variety of low-cost household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) products as it continues to grow, including the possibility of offering a solar disinfection product in the future. If successful, SOLAIR is practically advantageous over SODIS, which uses smaller PET bottles, chiefly due to the ability to use a larger water container (2-25L), and one that is more likely to be available in a rural setting, given the widespread use of HDPE jerry cans as water collection and storage vessels in many developing countries. The main idea behind the SOLAIR system is to keep high dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in the water which, in turn, enhances disinfection. A study done by Meyer et al. (2000), in South Africa, showed that regular shaking of the water-filled HDPE container keeps DO at sufficiently high levels to augment disinfection.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Yazdani, Iman

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Susan Murcott.

• Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39273

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/39273