Description du projet
De nouveaux filtres pour une eau potable sûre
La Colombie connaît l’un des niveaux de pollution au mercure les plus élevés au monde. La pollution au mercure et les agents pathogènes empêchent les communautés pauvres de Colombie d’accéder à une eau potable sûre. Le projet FRESHWATER, financé par l’UE, collaborera avec les communautés locales du pays pour créer un système de filtration de l’eau surveillé par des mécanismes de contrôle de la qualité conviviaux et faciles à lire, afin de produire une eau potable sûre et propre. FRESHWATER développera également une relation de travail bidirectionnelle avec un «champion communautaire» qui durera toute la durée du projet. L’objectif global du projet consistera à améliorer la qualité de l’eau dans les communautés à faibles revenus ainsi que lors de crises humanitaires, réduisant ainsi la charge des maladies hydriques en Amérique latine, en Asie et en Afrique.
Objectif
Local communities in Columbia are lacking access to safe drinking water, principally due to mercury pollution and pathogens. Circumstances are such that access to a well-managed piped water supply system are not possible and therefore the communities require local low-cost point-of-use treatment. The objectives of the adsorbing Filters for REmoving pathogenS and Heavy metals in WATER project (FRESHWATER) are:
(i) to cocreate/codesign with local community members in deprived areas in Colombia adsorbing filters, sourcing local plant and other materials as feedstock;
(ii) to integrate these into adsorbing filters creating a robust and reliable water filtration system able to produce safe and clean drinking water, monitored by easy-to-use and easy-to-read quality control mechanisms, and
(iii) to develop a two-way working relationship with a “community champion” to outlast the duration of the project.
Using the engineering skills and knowledge of the Experienced Researcher and the host supervisory team at the University of Bath, UK, the project will lead to improve the quality of the water in low-income communities as well as in humanitarian crises, thus lowering the burden of waterborne diseases. This approach will be adoptable in a wider context in other poor communities in Latin America, Africa and Asia. To cocreate/codesign the adsorbent, frequent field studies in one low-income community in Colombia will be undertaken during the project, in partnership with the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogota.
Champ scientifique
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwater treatment processesdrinking water treatment processes
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrytransition metals
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollution
- engineering and technologycivil engineeringwater engineeringwater supply systems
Mots‑clés
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinateur
BA2 7AY Bath
Royaume-Uni