Development of a Sustainable Automated Hand Washing System with an Installed Water Recycling Device

— Hand washing has become a new normal in our society to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses. As a result of the need to comply with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on hand washing to reduce the risk of infection transmission, an automated hand washing system with an installed water recycling device was developed. The integration of recycling water ensures effective energy resource management and reduces environmental pollution. The conceptual architectural design of the automated hand washing machine was established using AutoCAD software and the Arduino microcontroller panel. The operation of the hand washing systems consists of assembling relevant sensors to automate the liquid soap, water, hand dryer and sanitiser dispenser. A filtration reactor was used to convert the wastewater to clean water. The clean water is then pumped to the overhead tank by a submersible pump inside the lower tank for reuse. The water treatment was achieved by adding 5g of aqueous and into 1000g of used water. The water samples were then analysed in the laboratory to ascertain their purity, and results were obtained. The purification of the recycled water ranges from 82% to 83%, and the salvage volume of the recovered clean water is 80%. The microcontroller was successful in coordinating the various activities of the automated system. The automatic washing machine will reduce water waste, eliminate environmental pollution and curb disease transmission.