Student creates system to purify rainwater with solar energy

bhushraislam145

A student from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), Ismael Montiel Hernández, designed and manufactured a mechatronic system that, through the use of solar energy, treats rainwater to reuse it in human activities to combat the decrease in drinking water that has been recorded. in Mexico in the last six decades.

The Mechatronic Engineering student from the Interdisciplinary Professional Unit in Engineering and Advanced Technologies (UPIITA), explained that the prototype has the capacity to provide grade one treatment to rainwater, so that it meets the specific standards to be used in activities. humanities such as washing clothes, dishes, cleaning the car, watering plants, growing in hydroponic systems and personal hygiene.

He explained that due to the levels of air pollution in Mexico City, rainwater contains substances dangerous to health, which is why it is called acid rain.

"What this prototype does is separate dangerous substances through evaporation and eliminate the vast majority of them from the water so that it is in a condition to be used, and based on tests carried out, the quality of the water has been verified," he noted.

He said that once the rainwater has Europe Cell Phone Number List evaporated, it is condensed, recovered and deposited in a cylindrical device, to which a hose is connected that enters directly into a water tank or container. It can be assembled without problems in the hydraulic installation from the construction of a house or adapted later.

He warned that in Mexico City there are eight effective hours of solar radiation, which allows the device to distill between 50 and 60 liters of water per day. The UPIITA student developed the device to promote water savings at home, but it could be sized to treat larger volumes and be adapted to schools or companies.



He assured that the device, with which he will obtain the title of Mechatronics Engineer, is a parabolic type solar concentrator, which is equipped with a tracking mechanism to locate the solar path throughout the day and also so that the solar rays that fall on the surface of incidence are reflected in a focus of concentration. “To achieve optimal temperature concentration, it is essential that these types of concentrators have a monitoring system,” he highlighted.

The young polytechnician explained that the system is autonomous and is automatically guided by two mechanisms consisting of two direct current motors that, in turn, operate through an electronic control device made up of a microcontroller and an electronic power unit.

«The tracking system is activated by sensors that determine the position of the sun and the amount of light, in this way the solar concentrator is constantly oriented. It can be said that it is a sustainable system because it is not necessary to connect it to any other energy source, since through the panel it generates the electricity necessary for its operation," he noted.

He explained that the system is supported on a circular platform on which the solar concentrator rotates and has steel profiles covered with a special paint to prevent rust. Likewise, it is equipped with a photovoltaic panel that charges a battery, which stores the electrical energy necessary to power the devices it has for its operation.

The solar concentrator has a dimension of 1.60 meters wide, 1.20 high and 50 centimeters deep. It is made up of mirror-type stainless steel sheets and is mostly made of aluminum and iron. The design of all the pieces was carried out by the young polytechnician. "I sized the panel, the photoelectric system, the couplings for the motors, the joints, the bearings, the azimuthal orientation mechanism (at the zenith) and the elevation mechanism," he noted.

Ismael Montiel Hernández reported that due to the contribution that this technology means to promote the culture of efficient use of energy resources and the reuse of rainwater, he will begin the procedures to patent the project and once he has the registration he will form a microenterprise focused on offer comprehensive and sustainable engineering solutions services.