Evaluation of Performance of Existing RO Drinking Water Stations in the North Central Province, Sri Lanka
Suresh Indika,
Yuansong Wei,
Dazhou Hu,
Jegetheeswaran Ketharani,
Tharindu Ritigala,
Titus Cooray,
M. A. C. K. Hansima,
Madhubashini Makehelwala,
K. B. S. N. Jinadasa,
Sujithra K. Weragoda,
Rohan Weerasooriya
Affiliations
Suresh Indika
State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
Yuansong Wei
State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
Dazhou Hu
State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
Jegetheeswaran Ketharani
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
Tharindu Ritigala
State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
Titus Cooray
Department of Applied Earth Sciences, Uva Wellassa University, Badulla 90000, Sri Lanka
M. A. C. K. Hansima
Post Graduate Institute of Science (PGIS), University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
Madhubashini Makehelwala
China-Sri Lanka Joint Research and Demonstration Center for Water Technology, Ministry of Water Supply, Meewathura, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
K. B. S. N. Jinadasa
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
Sujithra K. Weragoda
National Water Supply and Drainage Board, Katugastota 20800, Sri Lanka
Rohan Weerasooriya
National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Hanthana Road, Kandy 20000, Sri Lanka
Reverse osmosis (RO) drinking water stations have been introduced to provide safe drinking water for areas with prevailing chronic kidney disease with unknown (CKDu) etiology in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. In this investigation, RO drinking water stations established by community-based organizations (CBO) in the North Central Province (NCP) were examined. Water samples were collected from source, permeate, and concentrate in each station to determine water quality and performance. Furthermore, the operators of the systems were interviewed to evaluate operational and maintenance practices to identify major issues related to the RO systems. Results show that the majority (>93%) of RO systems had higher salt rejection rates (>92%), while water recovery varied from 19.4% to 64%. The removal efficiencies of hardness and alkalinity were averaged at 95.8% and 86.6%, respectively. Most dominant ions such as Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, Ba2+, Sr2+ Cl−, F−, and SO42− showed higher rejections at averaged values of 93.5%, 97.4%, 86.6%, 90.8%, 95.4%, 96.3%, 95.7%, 96.6%, and 99.0%, respectively. Low recovery rates, lower fluoride levels in product water, and membrane fouling were the main challenges. Lack of knowledge and training were the major issues that could shorten the lifespan of RO systems.
