Students of the Obuasi Senior High Technical School have won the 2024 Western North Regional Renewable Energy Challenge Competition recently held at the campus of Kumasi Anglican Senior High Technical School.

They won the competition with a project work that demonstrated the purification of water, designed to address issues related to the pollution of water in areas where illegal mining was rampant.

They scored 83.5 points to win the competition, while Yaa Asantewaa Girls came 2nd with 78.2 points. Armed Forces came 3rd with 69.5 points and Kumasi Wesley Girls came 4th with 69 points.

Obuasi Sec Tech will however represent the Ashanti region at the zonal level.
The challenge, organized by the Energy Commission in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), was under the theme: “Application of Renewable Energy Technologies in Solving Land Degradation and Water Pollution.”

It is to assist students in coming out with innovative skills, ideas, and projects to transform the energy sector, especially on lands and water bodies in Ghana.
Mr Francis Nchor, the Coordinator for the Obuasi Sec Tech team credited their victory to hardwork and intense preparation.

He commended the Headmaster of the school Ernest Wiafe for the support and expressed gratitude to the organizers, sponsors, teachers, and students for the good job done.

The project of O Sec Tech

This project presents a sustainable solution for water purification, integrating innovative technologies to meet the critical demand for clean water. Central to the system are four microturbines that generate electrical energy by harnessing the kinetic energy of flowing water, powering the purification process.

The purification process begins with the removal of scum and sludge in the primary purification stage, after which the clarified water is transferred to secondary purification tanks. Here, chemicals such as lead, arsenic, and nitrate are removed.

Additionally, an aeration tank oxygenates the water to facilitate bacterial treatment and stabilization. A monitoring tank equipped with turbidity and pH sensors ensures water quality and chemical levels are within acceptable ranges.

Results from the tests show an initial turbidity value of 4 NTU and a pH value of 12, which significantly decreased to 0.9 NTU and 8.7, respectively, after purification.

This indicates a remarkable improvement in water quality. The clean water is then pumped back into the river, addressing the issue of water pollution.