Design and analysis of a water filtration system for the removal of heavy metals due to "galamsey" activities: Using agricultural waste products

Abstract

Illegal mining is one of the major causes of water pollution in Ghana. Activities of illegal miners has led to the pollution of water bodies by Heavy Metals (H.M.) including other waste products, making it difficult for people, especially those in the rural areas to access clean waters for their various use. Computer Aided Design (CAD) software (SolidWorks 2018 package) was used to obtain conceptual designs for the water filtration system. A final proposed system was designed to fit the set requirements. The filtration system contains sub-systems, which contains agricultural waste products such as orange peels, for the heavy metals removal; carbon filters to remove impurities and improve the taste of the water. Ceramic filter was also proposed for the removal of the sediments from the wastewater. Furthermore, computer simulations were done on various part of the filtration system. Stress, strain, and deformation analysis were carried out on possible key parts and likely affected parts of the filtration system that may fail due to mechanical errors. The implication of the results was discussed the fabrication of the water filtration system.