Introduction

How the plant works

Follow a single drop of water through the seven-stage journey that turns raw, turbid pond water into crystal-clear drinking water — powered entirely by the sun, with zero operating cost.

Scroll to begin ↓

01 · Night

The system rests

At night, the plant is dormant. No sun, no power, no flow. This is the baseline of an OpEx-zero facility — quietly waiting for the first rays.

02 · Solar pumping

The sun starts the flow

Sunlight hits the panels and wakes the submerged pump. Raw, turbid water begins its journey from the source — 100% off-grid, zero-carbon.

03 · Buffer tank

Hydraulic buffer

A 6 000 L tank stabilises the flow to 208 L/h. Level telemetry manages the intake pump autonomously — no human touch required.

04 · Cascade aeration

Four steps, gravity-fed

Water falls down four stepped terraces. The open air-water interface strips away H₂S and foul gases and oxidises dissolved iron into filterable particles.

05 · Settling tank

Gravity takes over

Flow velocity drops to just 0.08 m/h. Over 60% of the heavy mud and flocs sink to the sloped floor and stay trapped there.

06 · Roughing filter · URF

Three gravel layers

Water rises through coarse, medium and fine gravel. Fine clay particles stick to the rough stones by physical adsorption — the water comes out visually clear.

07 · Slow sand filter

The biological engine

A living biofilm called the Schmutzdecke colonises the top of the sand bed. It actively predates on bacteria, viruses and parasites as water trickles through.

08 · Biochar polishing

The final touch

Locally sourced biochar adsorbs any remaining trace organics, odours and off-tastes. Fresh, crystal-clear water flows to the school's tap.

Clean water

For 500 students.

Zero electricity, zero operating cost, 20-year lifespan.
Engineered by students, built with the community.

The full picture

All stages,
one sun.

Raw turbid pond water, lifted by solar power and passed through aeration, settling, gravel filtration, biological sand filtration and biochar polishing — emerging crystal-clear at every school tap. Zero electricity. Zero operating cost.