CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION

Out of 101 million Filipinos, 9 million people rely on unimproved, unsafe and

unsustainable water sources and 19 million people lack access to improved sanitation.

(Darwall WRT et al, 2011) Families without a safe water source in or near their home

often spend significant time and energy collecting water. Thus, Filipinos consider water

and sanitation access a matter of safety, pride, progress, and convenience, in addition

to the health considerations. According to Cebu-based Pilipinas Water Resources, Inc.,

taking advantage of the country’s abundant seawater could solve the problem of

dwindling surface water or well water, which is commonly used for commercial and

residential purposes. With a country composed of more than 7,000 islands and islets,

desalination, or the process of turning seawater into fresh water, could be the answer to

potential water crisis.

Desalination is an expansion in providing safe and sustainable water because

even without water crisis, water districts cannot meet the demand of consumers. In

order to make solar desalination competitive with other desalination processes, major

desalination processes consume a large amount of energy derived from oil and natural

gas as heat and electricity, while emitting harmful CO. (Mazille, F. et. al, 2019) While

solar operated humidification dehumidification desalination has emerged as a promising

renewable energy-powered technology for producing sustainable fresh drinking water. It

is gaining much attention and significance as it is considered as the most effective

Design and Development of an Automated Solar Powered Chapter I
Desalination Machine for the Treatment of The Problem and its Background
Seawater to Drinking Water
Agustin; Benitez; Malleon; Manalo; Perile

method for desalination process among the other desalination technologies due to its

varied advantages such as moderate working pressure and temperature (~80°C), easy

system construction using low-cost materials, lower system and maintenance cost and

effortless system operation by evaporation and condensation technique. (Abu ElNasr,

M. et al, 2015)

One of the conventional methods in desalination is through distillation method.

The principle of this desalination process is based on the evaporation of water and the

condensation of steam to and from humid air. The humid air flows in a circuit driven by

natural convection between condenser and evaporator. Solar distillation mimics the

natural water cycle, in which the sun heats the sea water enough for evaporation to

occur. After evaporation, the water vapor is condensed onto a cool surface. There are

two types of solar desalination. The former one is using photo voltaic cells which

convert solar energy to electrical energy to power the desalination process. The later

one utilizes the solar energy in the heat form itself and is known as solar thermal

powered desalination.

Solar humidification-dehumidification method is a thermal water desalination

method. It is based on evaporation of sea water or brackish water and subsequent

condensation of the generated humid air, mostly at ambient pressure. (Abu ElNasr, M.

et al, 2015) This process mimics the natural water cycle, but over a much shorter time

frame. In this method, the humidified air flows in a circuit driven by natural or forced

convection between dehumidification chamber and the humidification chamber. The air

is distributed on a wetted media and then moves in either co-current or counter-current

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Design and Development of an Automated Solar Powered Chapter I
Desalination Machine for the Treatment of The Problem and its Background
Seawater to Drinking Water
Agustin; Benitez; Malleon; Manalo; Perile

flow to the hot feed (seawater) through the humidification chamber and becomes

saturated. In the dehumidification chamber, water vapor from the humid air condenses

on a heat exchanger. The distillate runs down the heat exchanger and collected in a

basin. The heat of condensation is mainly transferred to the cold seawater feed flowing

through the heat exchanger. Thus, the temperature of the feed in the condenser rises.

This feed can be discharged or further heated in a solar collector or by waste heat.

(Moumouh J. et. al, 2018)

For the 100% purification of desalinated water, filtration is often included in the

process. It is a process which removes particulate matter from water by forcing the

water to pass through porous media. Filtration systems treat water by passing it through

beds of granular materials in order to remove and retain contaminants. (Helmenstine,

A.M., 2019) Conventional, direct and slow sand systems all do a good job of removing

most protozoa, bacteria, and viruses with the help of coagulation. Bag and cartridge

filters generally do not remove any viruses and few bacteria. The water purifier is a 3

stage purifier which consist a sediment filter to improve particle removal performance,

make water alkaline pH 7.2 to 7.5 and lastly the activated charcoal to remove chlorine.

Furthermore the sediment filter can be used up to 3 to 4 months. While the alkaline filter

and the carbon filter are for 10,000 gallons for 10 to 12 months.

Commonly, there are two main equipments for Solar Humidification-

Dehumidification method which are humidifier and dehumidifier. Humidifier is composed

of fill packs in which it is used to increase the efficiency of the humidifier and for better

humidification of air. In addition, it is a mechanical device that adds moisture or humidity

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Design and Development of an Automated Solar Powered Chapter I
Desalination Machine for the Treatment of The Problem and its Background
Seawater to Drinking Water
Agustin; Benitez; Malleon; Manalo; Perile

to the air. A humidifier has a tank for holding water, which is eventually evaporated by a

fan that distributes the moisture to the growroom or greenhouse. In the HDS process, it

is where the hot untreated water is precipitated and in the reverse flow the water is

brought into contact with colder air. As a result, the air is heated and humidified. In

addition, air is humidified through direct contact with salty water.

On the other hand, Dehumidifier consists of a condenser in which the pre-treated

water is being heated. Futhermore, it is a device that removes excess moisture from the

air. Hot moist air is put in indirect contact with cold salty water. This causes water vapor

to condense, which produces a fresh water stream.

Due to the high demand of source of sustainable and safe water in both

industrialized world and the domestic sector, it is becoming increasingly necessary to

develop an innovative design and technology in order to fill in the gaps of the water

industry in the Philippines. The researchers have developed a solar operated

humidification-dehumidification desalination that produces fresh water which is

desirable and makes economic sense at a low cost.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to design and develop a portable solar-powered desalination-

filtration machine for treatment of seawater to drinking water.

Specifically, it seeks to achieve the following:

1. Design a prototype considering the following

1.1. System Components

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Design and Development of an Automated Solar Powered Chapter I
Desalination Machine for the Treatment of The Problem and its Background
Seawater to Drinking Water
Agustin; Benitez; Malleon; Manalo; Perile

1.2. Material Requirements and Specifications

1.3. Design Computations

1.3.1. Mass Balance

1.3.2. Energy Balance

1.4. Cost Analysis

2. Evaluate the performance of the prototype considering the following sea water

properties before and after desalination treatment.

2.1. Physical Properties

2.1.1. Color

2.1.2. Odor

2.1.3. Taste

2.1.4. Turbidity

2.2. Chemical Properties

2.2.1. pH

2.2.2. Hardness

2.2.3. Total Dissolved Solids

2.2.4. Chloride

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Design and Development of an Automated Solar Powered Chapter I
Desalination Machine for the Treatment of The Problem and its Background
Seawater to Drinking Water
Agustin; Benitez; Malleon; Manalo; Perile

2.2.5. Manganese

2.2.6. Iron

2.2.7. Arsenic

2.2.8. Lead

2.2.9. Cadmium

2.2.10. Nitrate

2.2.11. Sulfate

2.3. Microbiological Properties

2.3.1. Total Coliforms

2.3.2. Fecal Califorms

3. Evaluate the machine performance in terms of the following:

3.1. Percent Yield, (%)

3.2. Desalination Efficiency, (%)

3.3. Desalination Rate, (mL/s)

4. Determine if there is a significant difference between the sea water before and

after desalination treatment.

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Design and Development of an Automated Solar Powered Chapter I
Desalination Machine for the Treatment of The Problem and its Background
Seawater to Drinking Water
Agustin; Benitez; Malleon; Manalo; Perile

5. Determine if there is a significant difference between the above mentioned

properties of the treated water with the Philippine National Standards for drinking

water.

6. Conduct a sensory evaluation of the treated sea water as to:

6.1. Odor

6.2. Taste

6.3. Appearance

6.4. Texture

6.5. Over all Acceptance

ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESES

1. There is a significant difference between the sea water properties before and after

desalination treatment.

2. There is a significant difference between the properties of treated sea water with

Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The findings of this study will redound to the benefit of the Philippines’ tourism

market competency considering that most of the places tourists visit is found in the

remote areas of the country where potable water is scarce

Building a stronger, more self-sufficient small scale plant by way of a commercial-

based drinking water purification model is one of the main purposes of this study. A

commercial-based drinking water distribution program aids local community, especially

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Design and Development of an Automated Solar Powered Chapter I
Desalination Machine for the Treatment of The Problem and its Background
Seawater to Drinking Water
Agustin; Benitez; Malleon; Manalo; Perile

those people living in rural areas where potable drinking water is scarce. While

abbreviating impact on local environment and increasing energy security, the

accumulated profit stays within the private company.

This study can potentially increase the demand for local tourism in which the end

product can be used to purify sea water and can aid self-sufficient islands where most

of the tourists visit. In addition, the local tourism of that specific place will increase thus

boosting the Philippine economy gradually.

With the development of desalination-filtration machine in remote beach areas, the

local community living there can benefit by having domestic works involved like

transportation, food and drinks and etc.

For the researchers, the study will help them explore the processes involved in

purification of sea water and apply what they’ve through the course.

For the future researchers, the study will serve as a reference for any desalination-

filtration machine study that will greatly help them for their future study.

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The study mainly focused on the design and development of a desalination-

filtration machine for the purification of sea water to produce drinking water. Different

parameters estimate the purification of drinking water from sea water. The operation is

at 1atm with controlled temperature of 95⁰Celcius for the hot water inlet and an ambient

temperature of 33⁰ Celcius for the condenser with a feed sea water of 20L per hour. The

overall purification time is 8 hours. Fabrication and testing of the actual desalination and

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Design and Development of an Automated Solar Powered Chapter I
Desalination Machine for the Treatment of The Problem and its Background
Seawater to Drinking Water
Agustin; Benitez; Malleon; Manalo; Perile

filtration machine will be done at the Automatic Motors which is located at Balagtas,

Batangas City. The allotted budget for the fabrication and testing of the machine is Php.

81,780 including all the materials to be used in the duration of this study. The

feedstocks used came from Brgy. San Antonio, Isla Verde, Batangas. Comparison of

the physicochemical properties of condensed water and filtered water will be included in

this study. The drinking water yield after condensation and filtration will be recorded and

the properties of the drinking water will be compared with that of Philippine National

Standards in terms of pH value, Color, Turbidity, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Choride,

Salinity, Physical proportion, Total coliform and Fecal coliforms. The study will conduct

two (2) trials. The drinking water of each trial will be tested at Lipa City Quality Control

(LCPC) located in Lipa City, Batangas. A user manual will be made to ensure proper

care and usage of the reactor for the future benefactors. The benefactors will come from

the local community of Brgy, San Antonio, Isla Verde, Batangas.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The diagram shows the overall research flow which comprises the materials

needed, processes conducted and the results gathered and its products.

Inputs Processes Outputs

• Sea Water • Designing of • Drinking Water

• Drinking Water Desalination Prototype • Solar-Powered
Philippine National Desalination-Filtration
o System Components
Standards Prototype
o Material
• Design Requirements • Drinking Water Yield
Requirements and
• Desalination Efficiency

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Design and Development of an Automated Solar Powered Chapter I
Desalination Machine for the Treatment of The Problem and its Background
Seawater to Drinking Water
Agustin; Benitez; Malleon; Manalo; Perile

o Dimension Specifications • Desalination rate

o Materials of o Design Computations • Statistical Result
construction o Cost Analysis • Sensory Result

➢ Cost • Characterization of
➢ Availability Sea Water
• Assembly and
Fabrication
• Purification of Sea
Water
• Evaluation of the
Machine
Performance

o Percent Yield
o Desalination
Efficiency
o Desalination Rate

• Characterization of
Drinking Water
• Statistical Evaluation
• Sensory Evaluation

Figure 1. Research Paradigm

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Design and Development of an Automated Solar Powered Chapter I
Desalination Machine for the Treatment of The Problem and its Background
Seawater to Drinking Water
Agustin; Benitez; Malleon; Manalo; Perile

DEFINITION OF TERMS

The following terms are used in this study:

Ambient air temperature. It refers to the current air temperature – the overall

temperature around u. (Aclan et al., 2013). In this study, it is the temperature in which

the water vapour starts to condense.

Battery Capacity. It is the maximum total electrical charge, expressed in

ampere-hours, which a battery can deliver to a load under a specific set of conditions.

(Aclan et al., 2013). In this study, it is the amount of voltage needed to run the machine.

Brine. Brine is water saturated or nearly saturated with a salt which is used to

preserve vegetables, fishes, and meats, in a process known as brining. (Aclan et al.,

2013). In this study, it is the by-product to be produced after the process.

Condensation. It is the process by which water vapor in the air is changed into

liquid water (Fennell, 2018). In this study, it is one of the process included to produce

fresh water.

Contamination. It is a general term referring to the introduction of materials not

normally found in water that makes the water less desirable or unfit for its intended

use.(Aclan et al., 2013).

Dehumidification. A process in which the moisture or water vapor or the

humidity is removed from the air keeping its dry bulb (DB) temperature constant

(Khemani, H., 2017). In this study, it is the process used to condense the water vapour

from the humid air in a heat exchanger.

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Design and Development of an Automated Solar Powered Chapter I
Desalination Machine for the Treatment of The Problem and its Background
Seawater to Drinking Water
Agustin; Benitez; Malleon; Manalo; Perile

Dehumidifier. A device that removes excess moisture from the air. In this study,

it is one of the equipment to be used in order to produce fresh water stream.

Desalination. It is a process by which dissolved salts are removed from

seawater or brines water thereby converting it into potable water.(Aclan et al, 2013). In

this study, it is the process to remove the salt from the seawater.

Filtration. It is a process used to separate solids from liquids or gases using a

filter medium that allows the fluid to pass, but not the solid (Helemnstine, 2019). In this

study, it is the process to be used to filter the fresh water from the humidification-

dehumidification process.

Humidification. A process of increasing the water vapour content of a gas. This

can occur by applying various methods such as steam, (e.g. Electrode steam

humidifiers), atomisation or evaporation. In this study, it is the process in which the air is

distributed on a wetted media and then moves in either co-current or counter-current

flow to the hot feed (seawater) and becomes saturated.

Humidifier. It is a mechanical device that adds moisture or humidity to the air. In

this study, it is where the hot untreated water is precipitated and in the reverse flow the

water is brought into contact with colder air.

Potable Water. It refers to the water suitable (both health and acceptability

considerations) for drinking and cooking purposes. (Aclan et al., 2013). In this study, it

is the final product after the humidification-dehumidification process

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Design and Development of an Automated Solar Powered Chapter I
Desalination Machine for the Treatment of The Problem and its Background
Seawater to Drinking Water
Agustin; Benitez; Malleon; Manalo; Perile

Seawater. Water in or taken from the sea. It is the source of feedstock to be

used in this study.

Solar power. It is the power obtained by harnessing the energy of the sun’s rays.

(Aclan et al., 2013). In this study, it is the source of energy used to operate the system.

Vaporization. It is the transition of matter from a solid or liquid phase into

gaseous (or vapor) phase. Water boiling into the steam is an example of vaporization

(Aclan et al., 2013).

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