Big Science challenge

[saraa]

Dear Friends

 

I am from Saraa School for Basic Education in the Sultanate of Oman and we want to exchange ideas about ways to get clean water to drink and how to guide people to conserve water… could you help me please

 

 

 

 

 

[michel123456]

Have a look at solar water cleaning or "solar water disinfection" tomorrow because today Wikipedia is closed...

There are even some clever portable devices.

Found this

http://www.greendiary.com/entry/5-ingenious-water-purification-systems-developed-rural-world/

 

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There is also research about low cost desalination of sea water, like the following

http://www.investingreece.gov.gr/newsletter/newsletter.asp?nid=613&id=642〈=1

 

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"to guide people how to conserve water" I think you will find in your ancient culture how to do that.

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There is also a whole philosophy on avoiding wasting water and recycling.

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Here an interesting historical review

http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/old_website/ndwc/ndwc_dwh_1.html

Edited January 18, 2012 by michel123456

[imatfaal]

The second example in Michel's link is the one I am most fascinated by - the low cost solar still. This allows salty water to be distilled and the fresh and clean distillate collected for drinking; all by the heat of the sun. Michel will (hopefully) be able to back me up on this; many houses in rural Greece have very lo-tech water heaters on their flat roof - they are simply a coiled black water hose. You fill the hose in the morning and by the evening it is full of water easily hot enough to wash, shower and clean with. I can see no real reason that every home with access to seawater and lots of sun (that takes in a fair percentage of Oman) should not have a similar system but with solar fresh water stills. There would need to be infrastructure back up and other resources, but as a primary source of fresh clean water it would be great

[michel123456]

The second example in Michel's link is the one I am most fascinated by - the low cost solar still. This allows salty water to be distilled and the fresh and clean distillate collected for drinking; all by the heat of the sun. Michel will (hopefully) be able to back me up on this; many houses in rural Greece have very lo-tech water heaters on their flat roof - they are simply a coiled black water hose.

Yes that is correct. In cities too.

 

You fill the hose in the morning and by the evening it is full of water easily hot enough to wash, shower and clean with.

Not exactly. It is a closed system with water circulating naturally through gravity, that's the reason why the ugly tank is above the solar panel. If you want the reservoir down you need a pump. The closed system is a pipe that circulates through the tank and the panel. The water is heated by the sun in the panel, then goes to the serpentine inside the tank, then back to the panel. The tank us thus a boiler where regular water (under pressure from the water company) gets heated by the serpentine and used for shower or kitchen tap. It is not used for heating the house.

 

http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/02-03/zero_emission_bldgs/descripsolarcollectors.htm

 

I can see no real reason that every home with access to seawater and lots of sun (that takes in a fair percentage of Oman) should not have a similar system but with solar fresh water stills. There would need to be infrastructure back up and other resources, but as a primary source of fresh clean water it would be great

 

That would be a similar system but not the same.

 

Also IIRC distilled water is not so good for drinking, there is a lack of minerals.

Edited January 18, 2012 by michel123456

[user_name]

Dear Friends

 

I am from Saraa School for Basic Education in the Sultanate of Oman and we want to exchange ideas about ways to get clean water to drink and how to guide people to conserve water… could you help me please

 

 

 

Is there a prize?