Access to drinking water, everywhere and for everyone throughout the world, is now a reality thanks to BIO-SUN, the easy-to-use photovoltaic terminal, which purifies drinking water using a combination of UV disinfection and solar energy. A solution that the international development organisations have been waiting for!
Designed by BIO-UV, leading French manufacturer of ultraviolet systems for water treatment, in partnership with PHAESUN, BIO-SUN is a patented product launched in November 2010.
The idea is to provide healthy drinking water to populations who do not have it, using only natural solar energy.
Contributing to economic development by providing a viable environmental solution, BIO-SUN gives rural populations in developing countries access to pure, healthy water and also provides drinking water to isolated areas everywhere in the world.
The principle is simple: a microfiltration, a UV lamp and a solar panel.
You just have to fill the tank with the water1 you wish to disinfect. The water is filtered and disinfected using ultraviolet light (UV-C). In a few seconds the water is fit to be consumed for vital requirements.
Terminal with plastic housing, rugged and hard-wearing • Height: 120 cm • Length: 60 cm • Width: 40 cm • Weight : 100 kg
Solar panel (for the basic version, without pump): 53 cm x 120 cm Zeolite filter (very effective technology, for its quality and filter rating) The sizing is suitable for the sunshine levels and conditions of use in the zones concerned.
The power of the UV reactor has been calculated to be able to treat the equivalent of 500 litres/hour with 400 J/m², which represents the dose required to make water drinkable in all the developed countries. Due to its photovoltaic power supply, this terminal has been designed to operate for approximately 4 hours/day, and therefore to have a run time of approximately 3 days and supply about a hundred persons with 25 litres of water each daily, the vital requirements defined by the WHO.
Filling the tank – Following the lie of the land, it may be made in different ways:
manually, thanks to a cap, not more than 20 litres, because, in particular in Africa, it is the women who carry water,
or with a connection of the device to the mains (maximum 3 bar)
Powered by solar energy BIO-SUN has three days of run time, corresponding to the production of 6m3 of water. WHO recommendations set drinking water requirements at 25 l per day per person.
BIO-SUN provides 2m3 of drinking water per day and can therefore meet the daily requirements of 80 to 100 persons.
[1] the water used must not be heavily polluted by large quantities of sludge nor must it contain high levels of pesticide-type residues or high concentrations of other contaminants such as heavy metals and/or organic matter
The distribution networks providing after sales service for BIO UV and Phaesun will be responsible for making spare parts and qualified labour available at reasonable prices and distances for the users. The UV lamp can be changed in a simple operation (service life: 1 year). We recommend regularly unclogging the zeolite filter according to the slowing of the water flow rate (depending on the quality of the water that is to be treated). The (optional) activated carbon and sediment filters should be changed approximately every three months, depending on the same criteria.
Environmental: carbon footprint, no fossil energy.
Social: improvement in health thanks to pure water, reasonable purchase price, improved quality of life that will have an impact on rural-to-urban migration.
Economic: production of drinking water with a reasonable budget, reduction of costs linked to health, local added value by the creation of activity.
Technical: Standalone water purification station, simple design, easy and low-cost maintenance.
Society aspect: making users more responsible In order to contribute to the development of the local economy, in particular in African and Asian countries, installation and maintenance operations can be carried out by local businesses who are therefore made more responsible. Manufactured from a plastic material that would be difficult to use for other purposes, contrary to plating or steel, the terminal must be placed on a concrete base with the solar panel to one side, facing due South. There are 3 installation possibilities:
The autonomous solution: the solar panel is fixed to the terminal by a column,
The remote solution: the solar panel is fixed to a wall, a roof, etc.
The existing local solution: by removing the rear panel, you can fix the terminal to a wall or a support structure (cash dispenser type).
Everywhere in the world where there is a requirement for making drinking water microbiologically safe for populations in order to eliminate waterborne diseases, and particularly in disadvantaged peri-urban areas (townships, etc.):
NGOs operating in Africa, Asia, South America, etc.
Areas with dilapidated water supply systems,
Areas in which the water treatment infrastructures have not kept pace with the growth in the distribution systems (demographic pressure linked to rapid urban growth),
Rural areas that are not equipped with water treatment systems,
Buildings in which water quality must be particularly well monitored: health centres, field hospitals in emergency situations, etc.
Infrastructures in isolated areas, without piped water supply and without energy: islands, mountain refuges, etc.
The cost of consumable items is approximately 200 euros per year, i.e. 0.27 euros per m3 of treated water, so 0.00027 euros/litre.
