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Project

Production of potable water for small scale communities using low-cost membrane filtration.

Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest coverage in drinking water access (56 percent) and the number of people without access to water and sanitation actually increased from 335 million in 1990 to 440 million by the end of 2004, which is far from the attainment of the MDG 7 (target 10). In this context, this project aims the development of membranes as the technology that will be used for decentralized purification of contaminated waters in Africa, using a waste-to-product principle in which the product cyle, including all necessary auxillaries, is entirely based in the African partner country. This implies that all resources used for membrane manufacturing are readily available in Africa on a local scale. The eventual filtration method will be technically simple, easy to operate and to maintain, and much cheaper than known modules that are applied in industrialised countries. The project will have a direct impact on development in small scale communities, which is a service to society through the project, and allow wider implementation thanks to the capacity building created in the African partner country, South Africa.
Date:1 Dec 2011 →  30 Nov 2015
Keywords:Mambrane filtration, Potable water
Disciplines:Economic development, innovation, technological change and growth