Ground Water Replenisher: A System to Artificially Recharge Ground Water

Abstract

In the present scenario, talking practically, most of the residential areas, use ground water to fulfill their day to day needs. Till now nothing significant has been done to replenish the ground water except the ‘RAIN WATER HARVESTING SYSTEM’, in which the rain water is harvested and is then directed underground.
It is found that about 70-80% of the household water goes into the sewer. The sewage thus carried to the treatment plant is treated to remove the harmful contents and the treated water is either supplied back for household purposes or to some other place, like industries etc, depending upon the quality of treated water. In this transportation, there is loss of water which can’t be ignored. Further this treated water is never used in water replenishment.
Excluding the sanitation dispose, remaining 40-50% of household water dispose - containing oil, grease, suspended dust particles, surfactants, heavy metals and some other pollutants - can be used effectively to replenish ground water after proper treatment, which may be carried out effectively using ‘GROUND WATER REPLENISHER’
GROUND WATER REPLENISHER is a simple aligned system that can be laid out easily beneath the house requiring little space and one time nominal investment. Most important thing about this system is that it would be the very first filtration system that would work beneath each house and till now no such effort has been made. It consists of a four stepped filtration system, all assembled mostly with natural materials without using chemicals, including sand, gravels, brick pieces, Shungite(an ore belonging to the carbon family, having great adsorbing property), semi permeable membrane and alum. The four steps work as follows:
1. This chamber performs the function of a primary filter and removes heavy metals, bigger particles such as pieces of wood, plastic, stone, etc and is also effective in removing oils and grease to some extent.
2. The second step, is an optional step, useful for removal of excessive oil and grease, if present in the household water. Before passing the water to the third layer of the filtration process, it is passed through an arrangement of pipes to help mix it with alum.
3. This chamber is responsible for the removal of suspended dust particles, oil and grease, phosphorous, fluoride, iron, lead, color, foaming agents, neutralizes alkalinity, and consists of a water tank in which the water is allowed to stagnate for a sufficient time.
4. Finally, the last chamber, performs the most crucial part in the treatment of household water to make it fit enough to replenish ground water , by removing surfactants, using an ore called Shungite, which is known for its recently discovered adsorbing properties.
SHUNGITE is a carbonaceous material, abundant in Russia. It has great adsorbing property and can adsorb surfactants.