Synonyms
Definition
Solar disinfection, or SODIS, refers to the method of using sunlight to inactivate microbes in biologically contaminated water. The contaminated water is placed in transparent containers and is then exposed to strong sunlight for at least 6–8 h. At the end of this solar exposure, the microbes, which could otherwise cause waterborne diseases, are inactivated and unable to cause illness. Solar disinfection is typically used in remote rural communities in low-income settings where there is no access to any other form of distributed water treatment such as chlorination, boiling, or filtration.
Introduction
Access to safe drinking water is a problem for a large proportion of the global population but especially for those living in low- to medium-income countries or in remote rural communities without access to municipally treated distributed water supply. Members of households in such situations often have no choice but to drink contaminated water and are at a high...
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Marugán, J., Giannakis, S., McGuigan, K.G., Polo-López, I. (2020). Solar Disinfection as a Water Treatment Technology. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A.M., Brandli, L., Lange Salvia, A., Wall, T. (eds) Clean Water and Sanitation. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70061-8_125-1
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