Takatso’s autonomous and self-sustainable water purification system providing safe drinkable water was commissioned in the Kruger National Park in South Africa since December 5th, 2021, and will run for 12 months.
The project has been commissioned under a Proof of Concept Agreement between the South African National Parks (SANParks) and Takatso Partners Pty Ltd. The purpose of this partnership is to assess Takatso’s technology performance and deliver results sought by SANParks.
The main objective of the research will be to demonstrate that brackish water can be effectively and autonomously purified to potability using renewable energies in a completely isolated area. The project will assist SANParks to comply with the long-term objective of reducing water consumption as well as to offer a more efficient solution for water access in remote areas.
Two locations were originally considered to implement Takatso’s purification system, however after thorough research and consultation about SANParks requirements, both parties decided to choose the ranger camp near Phalaborwa for the following reasons:
- Poor water quality (which will serve to demonstrate Takatso’s solution performance)
- Existing borehole infrastructure with pumps and reservoirs
- Secured area within the ranger camp
- Accessibility to the Klein Letaba River and Groot Letaba River
Takatso’s system consists of two main units: - The Power Plant, including solar panels, inverters and batteries
- The Purification Plant, including pipes, pumps and tanks
The water purification system is powered exclusively by renewable energies. The solution is a fully autonomous off-grid system powered through an off-grid PV system using solar panels to purify the water. The supplied module is a complete containerized package with all components as an out of the box plug and play system; which results in very competitive costs, ruggedness, easy transportation and installation.
The process involves drawing water from the existing borehole, and pumping it into a purification system through a holding tank and a series of filters, valves and pumps. The processed water is stored in a tank onsite and directly distributed to the ranger camp for use. The designed module produces 500 litres of clean drinkable water per hour; which meets the ranger’s camp daily water use requirements.
