City based CSIR Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) has installed a unique ultrafiltration + reverse osmosis (RO) integrated pilot plant for brackish water purification at Tippanaputtuga Village in Sompeta Mandal at Srikakulam district.
The ultrafiltration system operates at a pressure of 3 atmosphere to 5 atmosphere to remove colloidal silica, which is one of the causes of kidney ailments, along with turbidity at a water recovery of 90% to 95%.
It also prolongs RO membrane life, according to Chemical Engineering Division principal scientist S. Sridhar, who designed and executed the plant with his team.
This treated water is then fed to an RO system of 750 litres/hour capacity, which operates at a pressure of 7 atmosphere to 10 atmosphere with a water recovery of 80%.
The system then removes all other impurities, especially heavy metals such as arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, excess hardness, nitrate and lithium that may also contribute to chronic kidney disease (CKD).The purified water is remineralised online to a total dissolved solids level of 55 ppm for consumption. Through this societal welfare project, IICT aims to provide free drinking water to more than 3,000 people in villages in and around Sompeta.
Chronic kidney disease
It would assist in prevention of CKD and provide succour to patients already ailing from the dreaded disease, which is widely prevalent in Uddanam and other regions of Srikakulam district.
The plant was running on a trial basis since September 2017 and was commissioned this month at its full-fledged capacity of 750 litres/hour, a press release said.
