Subject: Water purification

From: David Fuller <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 1996 21:13:25 -0700 (PDT)

Greetings from the Sonoran Bioregion.

I would be grateful for help regarding the relative economic 
advantage of using solar distillation versus filtration, reverse 
osmosis, ion exchange, etc.  No shortage of sun here in Arizona, so 
would a solar furnace do the trick to provide pure drinking water, with 
a charcoal finish to take out any co-distilled organics?

Any pointers to sources welcomed.

Many thanks, Dave Fuller.

---

From: [email-masked] (Robert W. Tom)
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996 11:30:57 -0400

on Wed Jun 19 00:13:25 1996
[email-masked] (David Fuller) wrote:
re: Water purification

[ snipped & pasted ]

>    ...relative economic advantage of using solar distillation versus
>    filtration, reverse osmosis, ion exchange, etc.

There is an excellent paper/discussion on domestic water treatment methods 
at:
     http://mha-net.org/msb/html/papers-n/palo01/wastewa.htm           

It describes the design of the waste water treatment systems used at the
CODICILE project (aka Toronto Healthy House ). The design has been built
and is currently open for viewing.

Some excerpts from a CMHC booklet describing an early version of the
CODICILE design (some details have been changed on the built version):

... small three-storey dwelling ...for construction on the rear portion of
     urban lots facing a back lane 

...850 sq foot home is a six metre (20 feet) cube with two bedrooms and
     a rooftop greenhouse [ the built design was enlarged ]

...the house is entirely self-sufficient, making no use of the urban
     energy grid or the municipal infrastructure for sewage, storm water,
     potable water or waste disposal

OCCUPANT HEALTH
* many of the materials and products which are common sources of off-gas  
  emissions are eliminated from this design

* the house includes a ventilation system designed for ultra low-energy  
  operation 

ENERGY EFFICIENCY
* well-insulated cube design has inherently modest space heating demands  
  which can be met by an efficient wood stove together with active and  
  passive solar gains

* the house is not connected to the hydro grid. Electricity needs are met
     by a photovoltaic array and a thermopile which converts heat from the  
     woodstove into electricity. Battery storage is included in this
     system.

* carefully selected lighting and appliances require minimal electricity

* vegetative cover on exposed surfaces provides transpiration cooling in  
       summer

RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
*    the house is not connected to municipal water and sewage services. It
     is designed to catch rainwater which is then purified by reverse
     osmosis and UV system and then held in storage

* Greywater from the house is bio-treated in organic filtration beds and    
     then returned to the purification process for re-use

* Food wastes and toilet discharge are composted

* All water fixtures are conserving. The toilet requires only 350 ml (11.83 
     US fl oz) per flush

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
* Organic wastes are converted to soil additives and used on site

--
Rob  Tom
---------- * ------------
[email-masked]
Kanata,  Ontario,  Canada