ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF DESALINATION FOR SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: A REVIEW OF PREFILTRATION AND MICROBIAL DESALINATION CELL TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

Our research project has addressed the global need for greater accessibility to potable drinking water, specifically within the regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Initially, we planned to design a unique desalination system that was composed of a pre-filtration unit, a microbial desalination cell (MDC) and a post-desalination treatment unit. When in-person lab work was no longer feasible due to COVID-19 guidelines, we refocused our project to review the construction, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of the different designs of potential prefiltration units and MDC configurations. Our review of potential prefiltration systems included both chemical and physical separation methods, and the review of the MDC included the air cathode, biocathode and stacked configurations. While researching the technical details of the prefiltration and MDC systems, we also considered the cultural and societal impacts of introducing a technology such as the MDC into our project region. Our project started as an analysis of an emerging technology, but as the team has grown, the project has transformed into a comprehensive review of the emerging microbial desalination technology and the societal impacts of implementing it into some of the water scarce regions of coastal sub-Saharan Africa.