WATER PURIFICATION AUTOMATION PROJECT

Group 3

Answer the 7 questions for the problem approach mentioned in the previous
unit.

1. What is the problem?

- Mineral washing using mercury in the mining industry causes a big water
contamination problem.
2. Why is it a problem?
- It's a health risk and an environmental threat considering mercury is a highly
toxic element which makes water unusable for drinking or irrigation,
additionally it damages the environment and life around the process.
3. Where do you observe it?
- This problem is observable around the mineral washing part in mining
processes, geographically wherever the mining plant is, usually near bodies of
water.
4. Who does this affect?
- The operators who are the most in touch with the chemical
- Animal and plant life around that gets poisoned with the toxic water
- Near communities that lose the capability to use these bodies of water.
5. When did you first observe the problem?
- It's an old problem that comes from the start of the very process of mining
using chemicals to optimize it.
6. How do we observe the problem?
- Erosion around the washing process
- Change of color of the earth around the zone
- Dead plant life and lack of animal life around
- No fishes in these bodies of water
- Presence of mercury in water
7. How often do we observe the problem?
- It's a periodic process made in batches, so it happens with frequency every
time a new batch of minerals for washing comes up

Also answer this other questions:

a. Why does the problem deserve your attention?

- This problem deserves our attention because Bolivia is a country with a lot of
movement of mining centers and the pollution that it generates day by day with ore
washing is great and there is no correct water treatment as well as proper care for the
environment. Therefore, this problem can become very important in our field because
 of the pollution it generates and because of the great importance that it can have to
give it a solution.
b. Is there any academic input?
- The academic contribution made is that two areas of engineering How to be
mechatronics and environmental will be worked together to provide a viable solution
to the problem of water contaminated by mining centers. It will be a study previously
carried out by the environmental engineering area and an implementation by us for
teaching and learning methods where it will have a communication interface with the
user for interaction and knowing the ranges of water purification values and also how
the process is carried out. control of sensors and valves remotely and/or
autonomously.
c. Is it worth the contribution that would be developed to solve the problem?
- It is totally worth it at the door that will be carried out because this solution will help a
lot in caring for the environment if it is carried out on a real scale in mining centers
for gold and other mineral exploitation. The contribution made will be for the safety
of the workers, environmental care of contamination and that the water can be reused
to wash the minerals.
d. What subjects will they use? What main areas would apply? (subject knowledge)
- Firstly, a study of the problems will be carried out and to know which are the main
ones to solve, then an analysis of costs to know the budget to which we are adapting
and we need to carry out this project. From previous subjects, instrumentation control
analysis and artificial vision will be used in machine design. This subject is a total set
of various and accused subjects that, joining them, lead to superior engineering design
to provide viable solutions to highly relevant problems.