Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2013PR158B

Field Demonstration of Removal of MS2 Bacteriophage and Bacillus subtilis with a Solar-Powered Engineered Experimental Drum Filtration and Disinfection (SEED) Unit

Institute: Puerto Rico
Year Established: 2013 Start Date: 2013-03-01 End Date: 2014-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $6,500 Total Non-Federal Funds: $11,000

Principal Investigators: Sangchul Hwang

Abstract: The proposed solar-powered engineered experimental drum filtration and disinfection (SEED) unit will be tested at field for its treatability of MS2 bacteriophage, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus subtilis and for its applicability as a small drinking water supply system for rural communities. This will be done in conjunction to a scaled-down lab-scale experiment from which more scientific information on mechanisms of inactivation and removal of those important microorganisms will be understood. The SEED unit is novel and the first of its kind in that it is fully solar-powered, easily engineered for production of safe drinking water. The PI (S. Hwang) has worked on several water quality projects for more than eight years and is very competent in development of small systems and monitoring of indicator/surrogate microorganisms. The proposed work will be driven by a graduate student who will be teamed up with several undergraduate students from interdisciplinary departments. This is a continuing proposal for the second-year project.