Project
Defluoridation
Ethiopia
News and Events
February 23, 2024
PhD Defense by Zewdu Bezu “INVESTIGATING THE POTENTIAL USE OF EXHAUSTED NATURAL ZEOLITES IN SOIL CONDITIONING AND PHOTOCATALYSIS APPLICATIONS” at Haramaya University, on February 23rd, 8:30 am
A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Chemistry, Postgraduate Program Directorate HARAMAYA UNIVERSITY
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree in
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN MATERIALS CHEMISTRY
November 9, 2022
​WORKSHOP Defluoridation and reuse of waste using natural resources in the rift valley (Rifawater)
Dra. Isabel Díaz, Senior Scientist of the AECID project, and Dr. Francisco Asís Moreno, country representative of NGO Amigos de Silva, project implementing entity, kindly INVITE you to participate in a workshop for the disclosure of results of the research work carried out during the project execution.
The project information can be found at:
https://www.defluoridationethiopia.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4IvgeGpcig
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4DuIoRaaNo
Several presentations (see agenda) will be given aiming at disseminating the scientific results and the social scope and impact of the project. The main objective of the workshop is to find new partners and collaborators seeking to reproduce the process and spread the technology used. We would be honored to have you.
March 11, 2022
March 11th 2022. Institutional visit of the Spanish Ambassador to Ethiopia, Manuel Salazar Palma and his wife, as well as the head of the Technical Cooperation Office of the Spanish Cooperation OTC-AECID, Mario Fanjul Benitez, and his team.
February 27, 2022
MSc. Dissertation Research, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales, Madrid Spain.
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Mr. Ignacio Peñalba Perdices has developed his own research dissertation on the topic of "Diseño de piloto para planta de tratamiento de agua para países en vías de desarrollo, con la tecnología de filtrado de la zeolita. Caso práctico en Dida y Obe (Etiopía)”. His research has focused on learning lessons from the new water treatment plants that makes use of the technology patented by the ICP-CSIC and improve the design for a better operating system of the implementation.
Nacho spent time with Amigos de Silva, visiting the two sites aimed in our project (Dida and Obe). His results have allowed elaborating an entire new design for our new installations.
His Msc Thesis can be downloaded here:
October 13, 2021
Within the framework of the Phase II of the project funded by #AECID, the PhD student of Haramaya University, Zewdu Bezu, in collaboration with the team of ICP-CSIC, presented on October 13th the Technical Report on the scientific study of the reusability of the saturated adsorbent zeolite in soil conditioning.
The event included an interesting presentation of the results obtained to date by the PhD student and the CSIC team, which will be completed in the field at Haramaya University. The presentation outlined the scientific
background and the experimental design to be conducted from November 2021 to July, 2022 in three successive harvesting trials. The president of the NGO, Francisco Moreno, and the Project Manager of the NGO in Madrid, Lourdes Ortiz, attended the event held in the ICP-CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
February 15, 2021
Phase II of the Defluoridation Project is launched by the team of the NGO ADS https://www.adsong.org/ together with the scientists of the ICP-CSIC https://icp.csic.es/profile/diaz-carretero-isabel/ and the company TAGUA https://tagua.es/
This Phase II of the project aims at evaluating the spent adsorbent based on zeolites, that has the fluoride trapped in a stable manner, in a new use as agricultural fertilizer. In collaboration with Haramaya Universtiy, in Ethiopia, a PhD student will evaluate the harmless use of this “waste” as soil conditioner in order to evaluate the efficiency in the fluoride entrapment by the zeolite. This Phase II will allow closing the cycle of the process, producing cero waste qualifying ad a circular economy technology.
April 2020
A new donor has joined our project. In April 2020 we have signed a Collaboration Agreement with the Spanish Fundación General CSIC for one year.
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November 2019
CONGRATULATIONS! The plants have been officially Inaugurated.
October 2019
The project has been successfully completed.
July 2019
The team formed by CSIC and NGO have visited the two project sites. All installations are functioning, including the solar panel in Site Obe. The facilities were handed over to the beneficiaries, the Salesians Mission.
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Water points have been installed inside the school of Dida, and outside in the Community point. In Obe, water points are installed inside the Recreation Center. Local acceptance has already been confirmed by the teachers and guards, especially in Obe where women appreciate the substitution of the hand pump by the new solar panel driven pump.
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March 2019
Construction has started in Dida and Obe sites, under the supervision of Project Manager Dr. Taju Sani and the Head of the Salesians Mission, Aba Dido. Gutema, Abiyot, & Friends GC is responsible for the construction and installation of the two Fluoride Treatment Plants using Zeolite-based technology.
The service includes renovation of the Dida and Obe community water points. In Dida, a new faucet has been installed. In Obe a solar panel pumping system will be installed.
November 2018
MSc. Dissertation Research, Loughborough University, UK
Mr. Dario Garcia Barrill is a student of MSe Water and Environmental Management at the Water Engineering Development Centre (WEDC), Loughborough University, UK. He has developed his own research dissertation on the topic of "Development of sustainable low-cost adsorption technologies for fluoride removal in Ethiopia". His research has focused on learning lessons from parts of Ethiopia where such technologies have been used. Under the framework of “Defluoridation in Ethiopia” project,
Dario spent time with Amigos de Silva, and the Salessians Missioners visiting the two sites aimed in our project (Dida and Obe). His results have allowed elaborating an entire water managing framework for our new installations. He has introduced our project at all levels, from the municipalities to the main stakeholders, setting the ground for future actions.
His Msc Thesis can be downloaded here:
May 2018
The Minister of Water, Irrigation and Electricity of Ethiopia, Dr. Eng. Seleshi Bekele has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the NGO Amigos de Silva aiming to contribute in this implementation project. This collaboration agreement warranties that the zeolite-technology will be included in the Agenda of the Fluorosis Mitigation Project under the Water Supply and Sanitation Directorate.
February 2018
Recently, a new donor has joined our project. In February 2018 we signed a Collaboration Agreement with the Spanish Foundation Juan Entrecanales de Azcárate for one year.
October 2017
In June 2017 our project was initiated with the generous support of the Swiss Foundation Stiftung Freie Gemeinschaftsbank. It is a two year project to implement a new defluoridation technology based on natural zeolites, in Ethiopia.
