Eastern Visayas grad students develop solar-powered desalination system for island communities

The innovation aims to provide an alternative source of freshwater for communities with limited access to potable water. EVSU

TACLOBAN — Access to freshwater remains a challenge for many island communities, especially during prolonged dry spells associated with El Niño.

Finding sustainable ways to address this concern, the Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU) has developed three engineering prototypes that combine seawater desalination, filtration technology, and solar energy.

The innovation aims to provide an alternative source of freshwater for communities with limited access to potable water.

The prototypes were presented and tested during the final research defense of EVSU’s Master of Engineering program at Kalanggaman Island in Palompon, Leyte.

The innovation aims to provide an alternative source of freshwater for communities with limited access to potable water. EVSUThe three interconnected projects involve a desalination machine that reduces salt content in seawater, a filtration system for additional treatment, and a solar power system to operate the facility using renewable energy.

Developed by engineers Edrinal Estobañes, Julius Codilla, and Jomar Navarro, the desalination machine is already operational and can produce approximately one gallon of freshwater per hour.

Although its current capacity is limited by budget constraints, the prototype offers opportunities for further improvement and development.

Kalanggaman Island was chosen as the research site because, despite being a popular tourist destination, it has no established source of potable water and is not connected to the mainland electric grid.

Further water-quality testing is needed to determine whether the water produced meets Philippine drinking-water standards before it can be considered safe for regular consumption.