Filtering¶
Multi-Media Filtering System¶
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| 1. Presentation Poster |
Introduction¶
The water at the institute comes from a natural source high up in the mountains. The quality of the water is good but the color of the water is still murky after filtration. Therefore, to reduce the murkiness of the water, the team resorted to designing a multi- media filter.
A multi-media filter is a vertical filtration system consisting of variously graded materials. The filter is very efficient in reducing the suspended solids present in water. The filter that the team has built consists of three layers of materials namely: 1) activated charcoal 2) fine aggregate and 3) coarse aggregates. After conducting numerous trials, the ratio of 1:1.6 of fine aggregates to coarse aggregates was found to be the most effective one, hence was used in the
Materials Required¶
- Cotton pads: To efficiently capture and hold on to impurities from the water, cotton pads are employed in the filtering process. They have benefits including a high capacity for absorption, fine filtering, chemical compatibility, low cost, and simplicity of usage. Cotton pads are biodegradable polishing filters that are a convenient and green option for a variety of filtration applications.
- Activated carbon: To adsorb and eliminate pollutants, contaminants, and smells from the water, this filter uses activated carbon. It effectively catches impurities as they pass through the filter because of the substantial surface area that its porous form affords for molecules to adhere to.
- Fine aggregate: it collects and removes solid particles from the water as they pass through, acting as a physical barrier. By removing observable contaminants, it purifies the water and acts as a pre-filter to prevent clogging in finer filters.
- Normal and Coarse aggregate: In order to prepare the water or fluid for passing through the finer filtering media layers below, it serves as a pre-filtration barrier to filter out bigger particles. They aid in avoiding direct contact with the influent as well as the dislodging of the finer media during the filtration process. The finer filtering medium below can concentrate on catching smaller particles and attaining improved filtration effectiveness by removing larger particles from the top layer.
Methodology¶
The DIY procedure is summarized as follows:
- After fixing the ratios of the filter media, mark the height of each filter media on the container (bottle) to be used.
- Insert cotton pads firmly at the opening of the bottle.
- Pour activated charcoal inside the vessel up to the required height. (in the experiment it was 2cm)
- Pour fine aggregate inside the vessel up to the required height. (Height 3cm)
- Pour well graded coarse aggregate up to the required height. (In the experiment it was 5cm)
Test conducted¶
We conducted turbidity and TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) testing to gauge the water’s clarity and general quality. Here is a summary of how we conducted these tests: Total dissolved solids (TDS) test:
- Upload the Arduino code to the Arduino board.
- Immerse the sensor into the water sample you want to test.
- The sensor will read the TDS value, and the Arduino will display the result on the Serial Monitor.
- Observe and record the TDS values as needed for further analysis.
Turbidity test:¶
- Upload the Arduino code to the Arduino board.
- Place the light intensity sensor and LED light to the water sample.
- The sensor will provide the turbidity value, and the Arduino will display the result on the Serial Monitor.
- Observe and record the TDS values as needed for further analysis.
- The turbidity value falls within the acceptable range for drinking water, indicating that the water sample has low turbidity and is relatively free from large particles or sediment.
- The murkiness of the water was significantly reduced after the filtration process.
Open for Call¶
The experiment was conducted in a very limited timeframe with limited resources so it might have some loopholes. Therefore, anyone willing to take the experiment forward is highly encouraged. Do let us know if your findings are interesting.