Presentation Type
Short presentation 10-15 minutes
In Person or Zoom Presentation
In-Person
Campus
Daytona Beach
Status
Student
Faculty/Staff Department
Mechanical Engineering
Presentation Description/Abstract
After earthquakes devastated Haiti in 2010, a team of Embry-Riddle students and faculty built and installed a solar-powered water purifier to improve both the environmental and human health concerns created by the lack of infrastructure, clean water, and sanitation. Since then, the group Pure Water Project has installed 12 water purifiers in orphanages, clinics, schools, and community centers in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The group relies on its partner selection criteria and local contacts to determine the installation site for the purifier. The fall and spring semester leading up to the installation trip in May are spent designing, building, and testing the purifier. This process incorporates mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic design. The Mechanical Team designs and constructs the purifier frame, including cutting and welding metal, designing 3D printed brackets, and plumbing the PVC system. The Electrical Team designs and wires the electrical box in charge of powering the purifier. The Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) Team develops learning activities to teach the local community personal hygiene practices and help them set up a micro-business to sell purified water. Profits from the micro-business ensure the ongoing maintenance and operation of the system. In May 2026, Pure Water Project students and faculty installed the purifier in Corocito, Dominican Republic to accomplish the group’s overall goal: using engineering principles to provide purified water to areas lacking reliable access to clean water.
Keywords
Solar-Powered Water Purification, Sustainable Engineering, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), Community Development, Renewable Energy Systems
Included in
The Pure Water Project
After earthquakes devastated Haiti in 2010, a team of Embry-Riddle students and faculty built and installed a solar-powered water purifier to improve both the environmental and human health concerns created by the lack of infrastructure, clean water, and sanitation. Since then, the group Pure Water Project has installed 12 water purifiers in orphanages, clinics, schools, and community centers in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The group relies on its partner selection criteria and local contacts to determine the installation site for the purifier. The fall and spring semester leading up to the installation trip in May are spent designing, building, and testing the purifier. This process incorporates mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic design. The Mechanical Team designs and constructs the purifier frame, including cutting and welding metal, designing 3D printed brackets, and plumbing the PVC system. The Electrical Team designs and wires the electrical box in charge of powering the purifier. The Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) Team develops learning activities to teach the local community personal hygiene practices and help them set up a micro-business to sell purified water. Profits from the micro-business ensure the ongoing maintenance and operation of the system. In May 2026, Pure Water Project students and faculty installed the purifier in Corocito, Dominican Republic to accomplish the group’s overall goal: using engineering principles to provide purified water to areas lacking reliable access to clean water.