A TEAM of student engineers at Charles Sturt University has been shortlisted for the Humanitarian Innovation Pitch 2019 for Australian university students.
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"Team Sloth" developed a system to use the sun to decontaminate drinking water called SODIS (Solar Water Disinfection System).
The students were inspired by the dire situation in the East Timor's Holorua, a remote agricultural village that has serious issues with sourcing clean drinking water.
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The team needed to create a three-minute video describing their invention as well as a written design brief with evidence of how their system works.
Team member Marcus Dege gave an explanation of their system.
"It utilises UV rays to kill bacteria in the water," he said.
"East Timor has big problems with run-off from natural events and forests, which can contaminate, breed bacteria and leave suspended particulate in the water.
"So we combined filtration and UV to completely sterilise the water. The whole system is cost-effective as well - it came to a total of about $70 to make."
The use of solar power means the SODIS system does not require energy from an electrical mains, meaning it can be used in remote areas or places that are affected by natural disasters.
Another Team Sloth member, Ethan Hastings, says although the project started as a simple university task, it has grown into something much more.
"The idea was originally just for an assignment but obviously we wanted it to be practical," he said.
"Then our lecturers elected us to go on to Sydney. We are taking it as it comes but hopefully it can be put into practical use."
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