Hyderabad lab develops water filtration technology for rural areas

To improve water purity in rural areas, a nano filtration plant has been installed in Mogallu village in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.

The technology support has been provided by the Hyderabad-based CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT). The lab has developed the membrane, which helps in purification of surface water.

It comprises a hydrophilised polyamide selective layer. The advantage of the technology over reverse osmosis is the higher rate of flow of purified water and retention of sufficient mineral content.

The nanofiltration plant treats pond water containing excessive turbidity, disease causing microbes and hardness to provide clean and safe drinking water to 600 children in a zilla parishad school in the district.

Implemented by S Sridhar and team from the Chemical Engineering Division of IICT, the project is sponsored by Inno Indigo (Europe) through the Department of Biotechnology.

The IICT team has installed another plant of 400 L/h capacity at another nearby school, ZHPS-Juttiga Village, Penumantra mandal, in the same district to help another 300 children.

Over the past decade, the laboratory has been involved in drinking water purification programmes. The division has so far designed and installed 12 pilot plants of 1,000 lit/hr capacity each, besides 21 compact units of 100-150 lit/hr capacity at villages, schools and hostels in the districts of Nalgonda and Warangal in Telangana; Prakasam and Krishna in AP and Tiruchy in TN, which are affected by fluorosis or contaminated water.

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