Green project part 3: Integrated rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling systems

You may click on these links for part 1 and 2 of this green project.

After months of planning, sourcing, talking to vendors etc., the prototype for the rainwater harvesting (RWH) and grey water recycling (GWR) systems is up. This prototype combines both systems into a single framework (pun intended) and is intended for testing the components and process flow as a coherent whole. Though the final design in the "actual" project will appear very different, this prototype and the actual system basically share the same elements and process flow.

Our SP Library has kindly allowed the prototype to be placed in their garden for testing. Bravo to them!

Figure 1: Figure shows the mini grey water recycling system incorporating  plants as the "filters" in 3 separate cells. In the background, you can see the book shelves of the library. If this prototype proves successful, it may be placed as it is for the long term as an educational tool for our students. Posters will then be fixed strategically to explain the capabilities of the system and how it works.

Figure 2: To polish up the grey water and the rainwater, off-the-shelf filters are installed. Depending on the quality of your input and the desired quality of your output (what do you want to use your treated water for?), these filters may not be necessary.

My current green project part 2: rainwater harvesting system

Here is the 2nd part of my involvement in a major green project in the form of a mindmap presented to the participants of the project. The green technology here harvests and treats rainwater to a suitable quality for further use. Similar to the previous post, it touches on the design considerations for builidng a rainwater harvesting. (Click on the figure on look at the whole map.)
Fore more on rainwater harvesting information, refer to my previous posts here.

My current green project part 1: grey water recycling system

Here is the mindmap which I presented to a group of participants for a major green project we are working on. (Sorry, can't reveal much detail at this point of time.) It contains the important design considerations for a grey water (i.e. water from the sinks, shower, laundry BUT not the W.C.) recycling system inherent in the project. (Click on the figure on look at the whole map.)

 Figure: Possible candidate for the plant treatment cell - Canna Lily. This is an example of phytoremediation - using plants to clean up the environment.

Figure: Another possible candidate for the plant treatment cell - Heliconia sp. Both candidates are easily available in Singapore as they are extensively used in landscaping.

For more information on phytoremediation, refer to my previous posts here.