Rain-cycling: design and implementation of a rainwater filtration and automated distribution system for recycling at the irtc building of tup - manila/
Allen C. Aguilar, John Zyrille C. Favorito, Vergel G. Filomeno, Aldrin S. Regalario, and Christian Dave SP. Regara.--
- Manila: Technological University of the Philippines, 2024.
- xiv, 165pages: 29cm.
Bachelor's thesis
College of Engineering.--
Includes bibliographic references and index.
Water is essential for life, yet access to clean water is increasingly threatened by scarcity and pollution. In the Philippines, freshwater withdrawals rose from 89.0 bcm to 91.0 bcm between 2021 and 2022 (PSA, 2023), underscoring the growing demand for water resources. To address this, a pilot rainwater recycling system was developed for the Integrated Research and Training Center (IRTC) building at the Technological University of the Philippines Manila as an alternative water source. The system leverages agricultural waste, frequent rainfall, and existing rainwater collection tanks. Using multimedia filtration composed of coarse silica sand, coconut coir, and granulated activated carbon (GAC) from coconut shells, the filtered rainwater is reused for flushing toilets and urinals. Coconut coir and GAC, both agricultural byproducts, offer a sustainable filtration solution. The system complies with sanitation standards set by the Department of Health and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Water quality testing revealed significant improvements: pH increased from 6.41 to 7.00, turbidity dropped from 3.5 NTU to 0.9 NTU, TSS remained <3 mg/L, nitrate decreased from 1.97 mg/L to 0.85 mg/L, lead stayed at <0.01 mg/L, and E. coli was reduced from >8 MPN/100 mL to <1.1 MPN/100 mL. These results demonstrate that the rainwater recycling system is an efficient, practical, and environmentally friendly solution for non-potable water applications.
Sustainable water management Rainwater recycling Multimedia filtration