Date of Completion

Spring 5-6-2012

Thesis Advisor(s)

Jeffrey McCutcheon

Honors Major

Chemical Engineering

Disciplines

Chemical Engineering | Engineering

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization, 780 million people do not have access to an improved water source. Many of these people are victims of emergencies and/or forced population migration, and suffer from malnutrition and diarrheal illness as well. One promising solution is Hydration Technology Innovation’s (HTI’s) forward osmosis (FO) systems: the HydroWell and Village System. These systems produce clean drink from almost any source water. A systematic evaluation of HTI’s systems was performed. Bench-top testing showed that HTI’s membrane can remove significant concentrations of inorganic contaminants that have been found to be problematic in disaster-prone regions. A cost model was developed and a sensitivity analysis was conducted in order to identify areas for cost reductions. Furthermore, since material availability is a concern in the targeted contexts, a variety of cleaning reagents were evaluated for membrane cleaning.

Share

COinS