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Despite functioning on the same basic process, there are major differences in design between what is effective in the developed world and what is feasible in the Global South. Almost all of the plants in the developed world rely on large amounts of electricity to monitor and operate. However, in the developing world, access to a reliable source of electricity is both doubtful and prohibitively expensive. AguaClara plants use gravity instead of pumps, and mechanical devices instead of electrical monitors, to run the plant. Since the plants are designed to be constructed using almost exclusively locally-available materials and labor, AguaClara communities also avoid the risks of failure or shut-down that plague other projects dependent upon overseas expertise and supplies. Up-to-date plant designs are freely available and customizable using the open-source AguaClara Automated Design Tool, available for download here.
Program Director Monroe Weber-Shirk's Lecture Slides for Intro to Water Treatment: Water Treatment.pptx
Research methodology and current areas of focus: Research
Automated Design Tool
Why Open Source?