Design of a membrane facility for water potabilization and its applicationto Third World countries

The origin of this work is the necessity of guaranteeing water quality in u nderdeveloped countries where the population is supplied with water from ri vers, lakes, etc. This water contains a certain number of viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms, which can cause some diseases. In these countrie s water disinfection methods are not usually applied or cannot be ensured a n appropriate effectiveness. On many occasions water is used in the same co ndition as it is found at the source. This fact causes a high rate of infec tion that, although not grave in most cases, has been the origin of major e pidemics in some circumstances. Membrane technology that allows disinfectio n on the basis of molecular size of particles is proposed as an option to t he current system of treatment. Membrane processes carry out disinfection b y means of size exclusion. At the end of the treatment, chlorination at low doses can be a way of keeping water in good condition for long periods of time. The aim of this work is design an ultrafiltration membrane treatment unit, with a spiral configuration, applicable to urban supply systems in un derdeveloped countries, which cannot guarantee sufficient water disinfectio n. The proposed membrane module can be extended to N units, with a conseque nt increment of treated product, adapting the system to demand. An alternat ive for the design described has been considered. This option consists of a tubular module of manual operation. This facility intends to provide small communities that are geographically isolated from important urban centres with high-quality water.