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1.INTRODUCTION
The problem of shortage of water and it's contamination is on the rise due to industrialization
and urbanization. The protection of our primary source of water by harvesting and the
development of cost effective remedial methods for its filtration is an essential need of the
current environment. This chapter includes a brief overview of the necessity of rainwater
harvesting, the quality of the harvested water, and the challenges faced in harvesting it. The
chapter also gives an insight into various kinds of pollutants present in water, it's
consumption patterns and the importance of saving water in the current times. The cost-
effectiveness of the filter systems that are needed to make the harvested rain water usable is
also discussed in the chapter.
1.1 General
The world is facing a major global water crisis. According to the WHO, approximately 780
billion people worldwide with a majority in developing countries like India do not have
access to potable water sources. It also states that by 2025, half of the world’s population will
be living in water-stressed areas. Rainfall is our primary source of fresh water which is not
used effectively. The demand for water in Populated cities is expected to dramatically
increase from 3.3 billion liters in 2007 to 6.4 billion liters in 2050 according to the UN
(2008).
Climate changes also adversely affect our hydrological cycle creating droughts and floods in
corners of the world[2 spain]. The shortage of water is a critical problem faced in highly
populous countries and where a high degree of water contamination is prevailing[3 brazin].
Water being one of the metabolic need for survival for humans should be conserved.
The average rainfall in India is 300 - 650mm/year according to Open Govt data records. Due
to uneven and very unreliable rain, the underground water table is low in some regions, also
the water in bores is reducing at a great rate due to increased digging of bores.[p3 niyanth]
In rural places the availability and accessibility of clean water is scarce, the only viable
alternative is use of rainwater harvesting and its filtration[ p4 niyanth]. Rain water in our
present industrial era is not in its purest form, it gets polluted by mixing with the polluted air
as it comes down to the earth's surface[cmmnt]]. The impurities present can cause health
implications.
The need to capture, store, filter and reuse rainfall is becoming more and more important as
the population grows, demands on mains water continue to rise. Rain water harvesting is one
of the methods that help relieve the stress put on the environment by these growing demands.
[niyap1]
In theory, Rainwater harvested is purer than surface water like rivers, but several studies
indicate drinking untreated rain water to cause diseases like Salmonella and Campylobacter.
The rain water that is obtained gets contaminated by various types of bacteria that are present
in the droppings of birds and other animals as it runs off the catchment area of the rooftop.
Additionally polluted air mixes unwanted substances in rain rendering it unusable without
treatment. Each parameter of water is to be noted and proper filtration techniques are to be
suggested.
K.B. Budhavant et al., (2011) [21] Regions in Pune with high traffic volume location have
PH more than 7 which makes it alkaline. Alkalinity is due to calcium ion (Ca2+) from
roadside dust. Other regions with industrial and vehicular emission have a high concentration
of sulfate ions (SO4-) and nitrate ion (NO3-) which makes it acidic. About 98% of acidity is
neutralized by alkaline components. Various sources for contamination are soil dust, biomass
burning, sea salt, and from human activities.
Pawan Kumar Bharti et al .,(2017) [11] assessed the quality of rainwater in the industrial
area of Panipat. It was observed that the physical, chemical, and biological parameters of
rainwater in the first flush were higher compared to that in the second rain. The main reason
for increased contamination in the first flush is due to the air particles in the surroundings
which settle down during the first rain.
Lili Mulyatna et al .,(2016) [41] assessed the quality of rainwater in the Indonesian areas. It
was observed that the physical and chemical properties of the rain water changed based on
the contact with the rooftop. The major type of roofing in Indonesia was found to be tiled
roofing. Which means that dust and animal wastes could easily get collected on them. This
leads to increase in turbidity and also signs of biological life up to 2400+ coliform bacteria
and E.coli. For the filtration process the 1 5minutes of rainwater was neglected and was
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termed as 1 flush which helped clean the roofs of such wastes and the water there after could
st
be filtered easily. Activated carbon along with a filter sponge of 0.3 micron were used as
filter materials and it was found that passing the water after the 1 5 minutes led to a decrease
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in turbidity and TDS and for a UV light was used to kill the bacterial life.
PRADO, et al., (2006) [29] Before using rainwater, it should be disinfected. PH of rain is
generally lower when compared to the PH of harvested rain flowing through the roof. Initial
precipitation will have higher solid contamination due to accumulation of partials on the
rooftop, as the rainfall is continuous the contaminants are washed off by this after few
precipitations solid contamination will reduce. By using harvested rainwater for non-potable
use we can save about 48%. Before using harvested Rainwater for non-potable use it should
be treated or else it will be unfit.
Joshua Graff Zivin, et al .,() [32] discusses the need to drink extremely clean water that is
overly purified water is increasing as technology advances, this may not necessarily be a
good trend as over purifying the water by various methods like RO leads to its wastage, this
is one of the reasons to question the quality of rainwater and discourage its use.
Pooja Chowdary Mehtani .,(2017) [16] The water sustainability in Bengaluru was carried
out considering the factors such as status of the water source, population, supply and demand
and increasing pollution in existing lakes; it was concluded that in order to make the city
more sustainable water conservation and rainwater harvesting should be given utmost
importance.
Adam Starowicz et al.,[49] the rising demand for fresh water is always an alarming crisis
that everyone in the world is facing. But in some countries with very low water resources
such as Poland, the major alternative is rainwater harvesting and a need for an effective
rainwater harvesting system is very important. Hence depending on the size of the house and
its inhabitants an ideal storage tank and system must be set up.
Laia Domènecha, et al., () [31] Densely populated localities suffer water shortage but
paradoxically, a reliable localized source of water, rainwater is usually treated as a risk rather
than as a useful resource. There is hindrance in the use of rainwater even today due to the risk
of air pollution and many people are still concerned about its purity. In Barcelona it is
believed that rooftop rainwater collection can meet at least 60% of secondary demands. The
decentralization of water supply and sanitation reduces the dependency of centralized
sources, saving valuable resources. It is found that the use of rain water on a single-family or
multifamily gives a very promising combination from an economical and environmental
point of view, saving up to 37LCD of water in a single-family. The main drawback is that
financial benefits are obtained at a later stage thus not motivating.
Abida Begum et al.,[410] Bangalore being one of the most developing cities in India, faces a
huge water crisis and for which an alternative is rainwater harvesting. But the quality of
rainwater isn’t that appropriate. This is mainly due to the increase in industries and traffic
from which the air and the rooftops get polluted and the rainwater that it comes in contact
with also gets polluted with various materials such as precipitation acidity Ca2+, Na+, K+
and Mg2+ were detected.
R-H. KIM, et al.,() [33] Rapid developments have increased the impermeable resulting in
floods. Rain water harvesting is the simplest method for reducing demand on public water
facilities. Rainwater which is contaminated is not fit for potable drinking. pollutants released
from roof and road may impair water quality of receiving waters if no natural or technical
retention takes place, Previous studies have clearly shown that runoff from highways contains
high levels of heavy metals, suspended matter, and hydrocarbons, The first flush is also
influenced by many parameters including rainfall intensity, antecedent dry weather period,
and properties of catchment surface. The pollutants from various surfaces are recorded and
methods are suggested.
M. de Kwaadsteniet, et al., (2012) [22] The primary source for atmospheric deposition
includes traffic emission, industrial and secondary aerosols. Corrosion of galvanized iron
sheets has also been proposed to contribute to lead contaminations in harvested rain water.
The activated carbon has a large surface area which allows for the removal of microbial and
chemical pollutants. Manganese oxide coated sand has been shown to remove heavy metals
from water.
Sungwoo Bae, et al., () [34] As rainwater is primarily collected from Rooftop, in this work
the effect rooftop material has on the microbial quality of fresh water has. The communities
of microbes in rainwater varies depending on the roofing material, this indicates selection of
roof top could influence the growth of microorganisms. Bird dropping on rooftops affects the
quality. Metal is proved to limit the growth of microbes. The importance of selecting roofing
material at the time of construction plays an important role in the filtration process.
SHARIFAH FAIZAH WAN JOHOR, et al., (2017) [23] Harvested rainwater contains
mosquito larvae debris and microorganisms from bird dropping which comes from rooftop
gutter to the storage. Mosquito breeding in harvested rainwater is mainly because of improper
way of storage conditions like open storage. Open storage will deteriorate the quality of the
stored water. By using Fabric Filter we can remove larvae of mosquitoes and other insects.
Filter will also help in reducing turbidity. Temperature is the main reason for bacterial growth
and this leads to a decrease in DO level. After filtration of rainwater the DO level seemed to
be higher. By this we can infer that there is a reduction of microorganisms.
1.2.3 Literature review on materials used
Bakar, et al .,(2014) [26] Activated carbon has a large amount of surface area and high
porosity which acts as a good absorbent which leads to a higher reduction of contaminants
and organics from rainwater. By using activated carbon, the PH of rainwater comes to a
neutral state, and BOD of rainwater will be reduced in a higher amount which implies
organics will be reduced.
Geena G. Pradeep, et al., (2016) [27] Activated carbon is the best adsorbent for removal of a
large number of contaminants. A simple way of producing activated carbon is through waste
material like coconut shells which is more effective in the removal of dissolved solids. for it
to be more effective it should have more contact time with wastewater to remove a greater
number of dissolved solids and the contact time is about 20 to 30 min. If the contact time is
more than 60 min even turbidity will be reduced to a greater extent.
Khayan Khayan et al ., (2019) [12] The use of zinc coating as a roofing material uncovers
the rainwater to heavy metals and also since lead is used to prevent corrosion of zinc roofing,
some amount of lead is also found in rainwater. The use of a filter consisting of mollusk sand
and activated carbon was found to be effective in reducing the pH, turbidity, and Pb content
in the rainwater collected from houses with zinc coated roofing material.
B. Kus et al .,(2013) [42] in the present state of increase in demand of water, the need for
easier and more effective ways of filtration is required. To achieve the above the use of
membrane filters along with granular activated carbon is considered more ideal in a
household point of view. It was that the reduction in turbidity was to be up to 20%-78% with
the usage of granular activated carbon. And also the decrease of dissolved organic carbon
was up to 50%.
Abraham Francics et al .,[43] due to the increase in the number of boreholes in the urban
areas to meet the water needs of several people, there has been a huge decrease in the
groundwater levels. Hence there is a need for ground water recharge which can be done by
rainwater harvesting. To achieve this the rainwater coming from the rooftops must be filtered
before being sent into the recharge pit. The most widely used material in rainwater filtration
systems is activated carbon/charcoal. This is mainly due to its adsorption property which is
due to the presence of a very high surface area. It is highly effective in the case of removing
turbidity and TDS.
Ree Ho Kima et al.,(2007)[48] based on the drawbacks of conventional materials like sand
and gravel and their poor efficiency in rainwater filtration. The use of metal membranes was
taken into picture which not only improved the filtration efficiency but also cost less and is
easily available compared to other forms of materials. The metal membrane filters remove
turbidity of rainwater up to 18 to 54%,and COD was 45 and 70%.
1.2.4 Literature review on design
Vincenzo Naddeo, et al., (2013) [25] By dividing rainwater treatment into stages like
filtration, adsorption and disinfection the filtered rainwater can be used for drinking purposes.
By using 75um membrane for prefiltration and 0.5 um membrane is used after granular
activated carbon for microfiltration which will help removing turbidity and suspended solid
particles up to 99%. UV light is used for disinfection purposes and is best and cost effective
when compared with other disinfection processes but there are some limitations that it has to
be cleaned and changed periodically.
Majed Abu-Zreig, et al., (0) [36] In the country of Jordan, which faces lack of adequate
water supply mainly due to its terrain and climate, it's important to understand in the rooftop
rainwater setup and its usability. 46% people don’t have RWH systems as it corresponds to
high cost. It's recommended to omit the first flush inside the collection tank. Optimum tank
size has to be designed to help in drought seasons but also avoid stagnation. If factories are
found nearby, a suitable approach is needed in treatment.
Kerry A. Kinne, et al.,[39] The present filtration methods adopted for groundwater can be
used for rainwater filtration. The incorporation of Parameter sensors is highly effective in
cost friendly incorporation of water treatment. Raw rainwater is cleaner than raw
groundwater thus reducing the cost of purification.
Celimar Azambuja Teixeira et al.,(2016)[45] the main aspect of the rain water harvesting
system will be the filter unit. The filter unit must not clog and should be very efficient. For
the filter to be very efficient it must have a proper design and filter materials. The filter
materials used here are membrane filters which have a very small pore size and keep out most
of the suspended particles. Due to the 1 flush having a lot of matter which will consist of
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twigs, leaves, plastic, etc. so the 1 flush must not be allowed to pass through the filter
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materials as the may clog the filter. Hence a design is made to avoid the 1 flush and filter the
st
A.Silva Vieira et al.,(2013)[46] the need for a rainwater harvesting filter unit to be
maintained regularly is very important to prevent the clogging of the filter materials and to
ensure that the filtration is very effective. Hence the need for an auto cleansing filter is very
important. To achieve this a pressure valve is used where the water that gets filtered goes into
the storage tank and once the storage tank is filled a ball valve closes the entrance to the tank
and now the water will start to rise above the filter materials and start creating a large amount
of pressure and once the pressure valve limit is reached the valve opens and the backwash
starts leading to the a self cleaning mechanism.
Abhijeet Keskar et al.,(2017)[44] the main purpose of rain water harvesting is for recharging
of groundwater. For which an appropriate pit must be done so that the pit can contain the
amount of water it receives and in turn doesn’t not overflow regularly. Hence proper
calculations must be made. The calculations are majorly based on the amount of rainfall that
the area receives, the area of the rooftop.
1.3 Motivation
Efficient use of rainwater is very important in day to day life. Saving of fresh water sources
needs to be a way of life, not just something we think about occasionally. Usable water
sources are finite, which means that we don’t have endless supply. According to The Times
of India( 2015), 468 billion litres of rainwater which could be harvested was wasted in 2010
in Delhi.Rainwater harvesting for domestic and agricultural uses is a very old practice dating
back to 4500 BC in the middle and East India. A typical Rainwater harvesting system
includes a collection of water from rooftops, screening and storage. Rooftop rainwater
harvesting provide upto 40% of our non potable water demand ().Stored rainwater can be
utilized for both outdoor and indoor uses, including watering plants or gardens, toilet
flushing, laundry, washing cars,(although using rainwater for drinking requires advanced
treatment before use). Another great advantage of rainwater harvesting is it decentralizes the
water supply, which reduces the burden on centralised municipal water supply.
In fact, some people are motivated to place rainwater-harvesting systems for the sole purpose
of getting a private, protected source of water just in case of an emergency.
The rainwater can be harvested and stored which can be used during a needy period only If
we have a good and efficient rainwater harvesting system. The conventional rain water
harvesting filters available in the market are useful just in the removal of debris and leaves
which are collected from the rooftop. As rainwater comes through the atmosphere it gets
contaminated due to industrial and vehicular pollution which makes it unfit for use. To
overcome this shortcoming of the conventional available filters, a rainwater harvesting filter
which can reduce the contaminants in the rainwater and contain these water parameters
within BIS standards is required. This work study improves the efficiency of existing filters
by adopting easy and economical materials and methods so that the filtered rainwater can be
used effectively.
1.4 Objectives
The present and conventional rain water filters available in the market only remove the
floating debris in the collected water, thus it discourages users to use it even for non potable
use. Rainwater is found to have many impurities and also the presence of harmful
microorganisms like e coli. Therefore it is obligatory to purify it and encourage its use for
non potable use. The main objective of preparing this report is to deliver a unified premise,
for a feasible model of rainwater harvesting and filtering system which aids in harvesting and
use of our primary source of water. The objective of the project is as follows:-
1. To carry out the complete water characterization of rainwater collected from rooftops
of houses in Bangalore south zone and comparing it with water standards.
2. To suggest a model to help in removing the turbidity, suspended solids, dissolved
solids present in the harvested water by using various water filter technologies.
3. To design a self-cleansing mechanism for easy maintenance of the filter, thereby
keeping the cost in mind.
4. To bring the filtered water to non potable water standards enabling household filter to
purify.
In this report, the proposed design’s basis is developed and presented in a step by step
approach for the effective removal of pollutants from rainwater harvested from rooftops. The
advantages of the proposed design over conventional rainwater harvesting filters are
emphasized.
The filtration unit consists of two stages, the first stage is an overflow system which consists
of a nylon mesh of pore size 2mm which is placed in the entrance of the pipe which is a T-
joint. The other end of the joint is closed with a removable end cap, which helps in removing
the trapped particles.
In the second stage the pipe from stage one is connected to a filter setup which consists of a
fine and coarse filter membrane that is effective in the removal of larger dust particles and
debris.
This is followed by a 200 micron filter sock to remove fine dust present in the collected water
. Then a certain depth of granular activated carbon is placed upon a gutter plate inside the
pipe to hold the GAC in place. Then a 5 micron filter sock put in place to hold the leached
particles from GAC. Then the water enters a storage tank which is designed according to the
building scheme, the excess water is redirected to drain.
Rooftop rainwater harvesting is one of the ancient techniques used for farming purposes in
the middle east and India[51]. A basic roof rainwater harvesting system typically consists of a
(1) roof catchment, (2) pipe system, (3)Screen filter, (4) storage and a delivery system.
Fig 1.
Owing to the increase of water shortage thought the world, some major cities in India have
made it compulsory for RWH systems to be installed in the buildings, failing to which leads
to the disapproval of building permission [52][53]. One of such cities is Bangalore in the state
of Karnataka, India. Bangalore is one of the ideal cities to harvest rain water, as according to
the Open Govt Data, its receives 970mm of rainfall on average annually spread over 8
months and 59 rainy days. This surplus of Water can be used or sent to increase ground water
table.
In many rural areas of developing countries the cost of centralization of water supply usually
becomes unaffordable, thus implementation of RWH system provides low cost decentralized
the water supply[54]. In some regions, groundwater with high fluoride concentration is
prevalent which causes fluorosis, and the only alternative for domestic water supplies is
Rainwater[55].
The implementation of just a harvesting system without filtration mechanism and proper
storage of Water, renders the collected water useless as many pollutants from air, rooftop
material, and other anthropogenic activities from humans and animal waste needs to be
filtered out [56].
Our primary catchment area rooftop contains a mixture of chemical and biological particles,
these may include nutrients, heavy metals and organic compounds such as petroleum
hydrocarbons [57]. The biological compounds may include bacteria and other pathogens [58].
The pathway of these pollutants is air borne, atmospheric settlements, leaching of rooftop
materials, flora on rooftop, weathering of roof materials and pipes and acid nature of rain[59].
There are also reports that cracks in roof trap aerosols can which can pollute the water at the
later stages [60]. These pores can also trap water and promote plant growth. In Al and Fe-Zn
sheets leach directly into the water [61]. Thus the rooftop water contamination exists along
the whole pathway of rainwater flow. Sometimes animal droppings on the roof add to these
pollutants, thereby demonstrating the complexity of maintaining and safeguarding water
quality.
The quality of water is the key determinant of the usability of the harvested water. Literature
suggests how the catchment characteristics, rooftop material, anthropogenic activates
contribute to providing pathway to degrade the physical, chemical and biological purity of
rainwater.
Fig 2.
Rainwater tanks can be ideal for mosquito breading, mosquitos can be vectors of many
deadly diseases like dengue. It was surveyed in Torres Straits Islands adult mosquitoes were
present in Rainwater tanks which was not protected [64].
Dust on rooftops in industrial cities make water mix with certain heavy metals. Heavy metals
combine with body bio-molecules like proteins and enzymes mutilating their structure and
hindering their biological functions [65]. They also cause gastrointestinal disorders,
diarrhoea, stomatis, tremor and haemoglobinuria[66].
Several recent studies drawn from various countries including Australia , South Africa, India
and Brazil (Alves et al., 2014) have reported the microbiological contamination of roof
rainwater exceeding WHO guidelines for drinking water [68][69][70]. Microbiological
contamination was attributed to animal droppings, gardens and dust and lack of first flush
diversion devices. The pathogens including Aeromonas spp, Salmonella spp, Giardia spp,
Campylobacter spp, Cryptosporidium spp and virulence genes in E. coli and Enterococcus
spp. Cryptosporidium spp may cause gastrointestinal illness in humans with nausea, vomiting
and or diarrhoea occurring after ingestion of contaminated water, while Legionella
pneumophila may cause respiratory infection, pneumonia and fatality rate can be 50% in
immune-compromised patients [71].
General mud settlements on rooftop gives the water a muddy colour making it unpleasing and
discouraging to use.
Table 1.
Table 2.
2.2.2 Turbidity
Turbidity is the cloudiness of the liquid with huge quantities of small individual particles with
size ranging from nanometre to micrometre which makes the light to scatter rather than to
transmit in a straight line through the medium. The medium concerned is ordinarily a liquid
in which light is dissipated by colloidal or organic, or inorganic matter, or fine insoluble
particles.[28] Turbidity is measured using a nephelometer with unit NTU. The test was
conducted according to Indian standard 3025 (part-10). The turbidity should be less than 5
NTU according to the BIS standard.
From the test results, it is noted that turbidity of raw rainwater is well under the limits, but as
the rainwater flows through the rooftop it picks up dust and leaching of rooftop material and
some organic compounds.
2.2.3 pH
The measurement of hydrogen ion concentration is called pH. Which tells about the acidity
and alkalinity of a sample. If pH value is less than 7 the sample is acidic and if pH is more
than 7 the sample is alkaline or basic. The rainwater becomes acidic due to presence of
sulphate ions (SO4-) and nitrate ion (NO3-) in atmosphere due to industrial and vehicular
emission and alkaline due to the presence of calcium ion Ca 2+ from loss soil dust [29]. The
pH is measured using a pH meter. The test was conducted according to Indian standard 3025
(part-11).
From the results we can infer that the rain water is alkaline which is due to soil dust which
contains calcium ions.It is not acidic as the sample site is not in proximity to any industrial
site or exposed to heavy vehicular movement. The sample was collected in a region where the
road side dust is abundant in the atmosphere.
The total measurement of dissolved content of organic and inorganic substances present in a
sample in molecular, ionized, or micro-granular suspended form is called total dissolved
solids (TDS). TDS is measured using TDS meter with unit mg/L. The test is conducted
according to Indian standard 3025 (part-16). The unit of measurement is mg/L.
From the result the TDS is more due to the presence of salts and minerals on the catchment.
The salts and minerals get deposited on catchment from air and other activity like washing of
laundry and in other cases the weathering of the rooftop material[72]. The TDS is reduced
after continuous heavy precipitation on the rooftop.[73]
2.2.5 Chloride
Chlorides are not usually found in rainwater at all regions but at places near to sea where
chloride concentration is due to salt water sprays. In regions with near industrial activity
Chlorides can be seen. [21] The test was conducted according to Indian standard 3025 (part-
32). The unit of measurement mg/L.
From the test result chloride in rain water is less and is increased after rainwater comes
contact with the roof. The chlorides are under permissible limits.
2.2.6 Nitrates
Nitrates make rain water acidic due to industrial and vehicular emission. About 37% of
nitrates makes rainwater acidic[21]. Atmosphere contains about 78% of nitrogen due
chemical reaction in the atmosphere and makes nitrates in the atmosphere. [210] The test was
conducted according to American Public Health Association 23rd edition. The unit of
measurement is mg/L.
Only small traces of nitrates were found in the rainwater. Due to air-borne settlements on the
rooftop ,this makes the rainwater collected have a higher trace of nitrate concentration.
Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is defined as the amount of oxygen consumed for the
reaction of soluble and organic matter. The test was conducted according to American
Public Health Association 22nd edition. The unit of measurement is mg/L.
Chemical oxygen demand for rainwater was less and it was high after rain water flowed
through the rooftop. This due to high concentration of contaminants on catchment due animal
activity.
The results of BOD were taken for 3 days at 27ys at 27 oC. The rainwater sample had BOD
was not found which means microorganisms were absent. The rainwater collected from the
catchment had a BOD of 5.7 which means microorganisms are present ,this is due to animal
droppings on the rooftops.
2.2.9 Inference
From Water Characterization we found that the water after passing through the roof top
catchment area ,the turbidity , total Suspended solids were found to exceed the Permissible
IS limits.(IS10500-2012) .Also the final report documents the presence of e-coli (O157:H7)
which is a pathogenic form of e-coli and coliform organism present in 35cfu/100ml.
The rooftop is considered to be the catchment area in rainwater harvesting systems. The type
of catchment area may vary from structure to structure, different types of roofs may alter the
coefficient of run off and also may impart different properties to the rainwater which comes
in contact. Rainwater collected from catchment areas usually are contaminated with dirt,
leaves, plant debris, silt and other unwanted matter. Due to this condition, rainwater should
be filtered before being stored.[76]
The water enters into the filtration unit via the drain pipes from the catchment area. The drain
pipe material is generally taken to be PVC, as it is an inert material and would not impart any
new characteristics to the rain water. The pipes that are connecting to the filtration unit must
be at 90 degrees, as the flow of water would be undisturbed and not create any areas where
water can get collected over time. The filtration unit consists of 6inch pipes, were used as the
offer a larger area to place the filtration media and as the can handle a large amount of
pressure.[77]
2.3.3 Filtration process:
The filtration concept of rainwater was developed to have the feature of self-cleaning
capacity and low maintenance. In order to achieve the above features, the focus was to use
locally available hydraulic components in the market. The use of sand and gravel was not
ideal as the weight of the filtration unit would increase. Down flow filtration was also not
taken due the particles or wastes might collect on the top of the filter media and would clog
the filter and prevent backwashing. Therefore, keeping the concept of the pressure valve an
up-flow filtration was taken into consideration, and down flow filtration for backwash was
chosen.
The stages of filtration include filtration stage, backwash stage and re-set stage. The filtration
stage commences when the rain water starts to enter the drain pipe via catchment area, the up
flow filtration process begins. The water moves through the filter media which are coarse and
fine filter floss, activated carbon and 200 and 5 micron filter bags. Once the water passes
through the filter media it enters the storage tank. The tank consist of a ball valve which
closes when the tank is full and hence the water level starts to rise in the system which intern
promotes the opening of the backwash outlet (pressure valve). As long as the tank is full the
system will carry of multiple backwashes. This creates a hydraulic shock to the filtration
media due to rapid flow inversions and discharge flow rate. This will remove the debris
retained in the filter media in a highly efficient manner.
After the system is completely drained the backwash out let closes and filtration will resume
to up flow filtration system. Hence automatically without electronic equipment the system
uses simple hydraulic processes based on pressure.
The water that rains down from the clouds is at its purest before it meets the air below so the
intercepting surface on the planet. Once out of the clouds, the standard of water is strongly
influenced by the substances it encounters and picks up—either as particulates, colloids, or
solutes—on its subsequent journey. Water, being one amongst the powerful of all solvents,
takes with it portions of nearly every substance that it comes connected with.
Chemical
Microbiological
Physical
These pollutants can get into rainwater by (a) coming in contact with contaminated air,(b) the
rooftop catchment and drainage pipes and (c) storage tanks .
2.3.5 Working of Activated Carbon as a filter
Filter floss and filter bags are membrane based filter media. They help in trapping a certain
size of materials present in the water column, which leads to reduction of turbidity of water.
Initially a 2mm pore size nylon mesh is used such that the particles of size greater than 2mm
do not enter the main filtration unit. This is followed by the use of much smaller pore sized
membranes which trap the fine dust and silt present in the rainwater. The membranes are
placed on a decreasing order based on pore size, which is as follows coarse and fine filter
floss which obstruct the particles of size 2mm-0.5mm, followed by filter bags which range
from 200-5micron. This ensures that clogging would occur and the life expectancy of the
membranes would not reduce rapidly.
The storage of the harvested water also plays an important use in preserving the water quality
and its usability during dry seasons. The storage capacity of the tank should be optimum, not
too large to stagnant the water prompting breading grounds nor too small to make the system
poorly effective.
CHAPTER 3