Pupil duo invents purification device

TWO Grade 10 pupils from a Limpopo high school have invented a water purification device that could make life easier for people living in rural areas.

Mpho Mashangoane and Mitchell Ramonyai, both 15, from Noorderland High School in Polokwane, were awarded the Young Innovators of the Year award for their “Boiler on Wheel” innovation in Gauteng at the Hip2B²3M Innovation Challenge late last year.

The solar energy-operated device makes it possible for people to purify water after they have harvested it from a river or spring. The solar panel is installed on a bucket with a filter, as well as a wheel and handles to make it easy to move around.

Ramonyai and Mashangoane realised that access to clean water was a struggle for many people living in the province, especially in villages.

“In Limpopo there are water sources in rural areas, but the water people draw from there is not necessarily clean. So we got together and thought of a way that could help people purify the water in an efficient way,” Mashangoane said.

She said at first the device was just a bucket on wheels with a filter at the bottom until they realised that the water could still have germs that were not visible to the eye.

The duo then decided to install an element, much like the one found in electrical kettles, except theirs is operated through solar energy, thus making it environmentally friendly.

“It has a switch on the side, so when you switch it on, the panel starts absorbing the energy from the sun. As you know, it takes a few minutes for a kettle to boil water, that’s why we decided to use the same mechanism to make it quicker. So by the time you get home, your water will be clean and ready for use,” Mashangoane said.

The girls approached their physical science teacher to assist them with research when they initially struggled to find a way to make the device switch itself off automatically.

Their dogged determination and perseverance finally paid off when they eventually found a way to make it work.

Part of the process involved developing their design on special computer software and then printing out the prototype on a 3D printer.

The boiler also has a tap to make it easier for people to release the hot water without getting burnt.

Both pupils walked away with laptops and won R10 000 for their school’s science department.

Mashangoane wants to pursue a career in zoology while after finishing high school, Ramonyai would like to study accounting and also venture into chemical engineering.

“I want to see myself as a professor of something,” Ramonyai said.

The girls hope to find a way of getting their product in the mainstream market so people can access it.