Lizzy Chang, Gabby Clapper, Toby Mea, and Luke Morrissey
Introduc on Village Water Ozona on System (VWOS) The Village Water Ozona on System (VWOS) is a small‐scale water treat‐
ment system. Upon entry into VWOS water is filtered and disinfected us‐
ing ozone, a chlorine alterna ve. Chlorine leaves a repulsing chemical taste rela ve to the odorless and tasteless quali es of ozone. Ozone is generated by Ultraviolet light spli ng oxygen molecules. This allows the O molecules to bond with diatomic oxygen molecules (O2) to form ozone (O3). Ozone is injected into our system using a pressure drop created by the venturi. In the serpen ne loop, small bubbles of ozone destroys bac‐
teria cells by oxidizing the cell walls and reducing the cell’s integrity. When in contact with air, the ozone dissipates in the form of O2. VWOS’ batch system can sani ze 300 gallons of water per batch, in developing areas with access to non‐potable water and electricity.
VWOS consists of a filtra on loop and an ozone loop. The water is passed through the filtra on loop to re‐
move larger pathogens and debris. In the ozone loop, ozone is injected through a venturi. The ozone and wa‐
ter travel through the serpen ne loop giving the ozone contact me with the water to oxidize bacteria. Small‐
er bubbles increase the surface area available for contact with water molecules, and thereby the efficiency of the system. Originally, VWOS used a Prozone Venutri to inject ozone. However, through tes ng, it was found that the Mazzei Injector is the best combina on of maintainability and efficiency in crea ng the small ozone bubbles needed. In future VWOS designs and im‐
plementa ons, the Mazzei Injector will be used. Tes ng the venturis also yielded new standards of tes ng, which allow for variables within VWOS to be consist‐
ently compared to each other. The major contributor to this change is the ozone residual. Once the water had been ozonated, the residual kept the water at a higher ORP which rose quickly and skewed results. Using fresh water for each test and ensuring the residual has been removed, allows for consistent data on every test. Numerous tests have been ran this year to study the residu‐
al of ozone, the injec on capabili es of venturis, and the impact of hardness and alkalinity on the Mazzei In‐
jector. Microcontrollers are an area of focusing for improving tes ng capabili es and ease of use for clients. A prototype has been constructed to monitor the ORP of the water and poten ally operate the pump and the generator. In the future, a fully automated system could increase the safety of water from VWOS. HOW OZONE WORKS 1. Bacteria in water 2. Ozone contacts the bacteria 3. Oxida ve burst 4. Creates hole in cell wall 5. Thousands of collisions destroys cell wall 6. Cell dies Current Members The future goals are to further expand the reach of the system by work‐
ing to create a system that requires less infrastructure in the community. Ideally, VWOS would like to eventually have an automated system that could be supported on a truck bed, which would then allow clean water to be taken directly to each family in the community of the client. VWOS is consul ng with the energy group to find an alterna ve means of ener‐
gy to power the system. This would allow use to reach communi es that don’t have access to electricity.
Conclusions
VWOS aims to provide access to clean water in areas where its lack is a ma er of jus ce. The VWOS team partners with Forward Edge Interna‐
onal in Oaxaca, Mexico to face economical, environmental, and cultur‐
al sustainability concerns while providing the best water possible. Acknowledgements Ray Knepper (Technical Advisor), Michelle Lockwood (Faculty advisor), Art Du Rea (Electronics Advisor), Dr. Thomas Soerens (Environmental Engineer), Future Goals Dr. David Vader (Director of Collaboratory) Client The VWOS team partners with Forward Edge Interna onal (FEI) to bring clean drinking water to developing communi‐
es. VWOS and FEI have partnered with Trigo y Miel in Oa‐
xaca, Mexico, where the team will travel from May 19 to May 28, 2016. This trip is when the team will be installing VWOS. Concurrently, rain gu ers will be installed at ten of the homes in the community for the homeowners to collect water for personal use. Want more informa on? For more informa on, check out the VWOS on the Collaboratory Website! Or contact one of our members: Lizzy Chang: [email protected] Gabrielle Clapper: [email protected] Toby Mea: [email protected] Luke Morrissey: [email protected]