Generating drinking water from the atmosphere using biogas
European engineers have created a technology that extracts water from the atmosphere, and that is powered by biogas or biomass. Similar machines working on solar power already exist, but they tend to be expensive. Making them work on biomass - used daily by millions of poor people - changes the equation in such a way that the system could tackle the lack of access to drinking water for many of the world's poor.
More than a billion people living in rural areas in the developing world do not have access either to electricity or to clean drinking water. The results are well known: epidemics, high child mortality and general under-development. According to the UN's Millennium Statement this number of people will only increase. That is why access to clean water is one of the Millennium Development Goals.
Until now, providing clean water and electricity to areas like the African Sahel, the jungles of Laos or the steppes of Turkmenistan has been both technically difficult and economically unrealistic. German engineer Ingo Herr has been working on the problem for many years. Together with Austrian engineer Leopold Ritter they created a compact container unit that produces clean drinking water extracted from the atmosphere.
The patented system, named AguaSolara, operates as a portable biogas or photovoltaic power station and efficiently extracts water from the atmosphere simply by tapping into nature's continuous cycle of evaporation and condensation. At any given moment, the earth's atmosphere contains 4,000 cubic miles of water, which is just .000012% of the 344 million cubic miles of water on earth. Nature maintains this ratio via evaporation and condensation, irrespective of the activities of man. Humidity and temperature drive the machine.
As it extracts water, it sterilises each drop within a few seconds of its formation by exposure to ultra-violet light. UV light waves fracture the DNA strands within bacteria, virii, and other micro-organisms which kills them instantly. This sterilised water is then passed through a unique patented 1-micron activated carbon water filter. (The average size of bacteria is 5 microns). This filter removes any possible solid particles, toxic chemicals, volatile organics, and other contaminates as well as any odors, taste, or discoloration. This filtration is followed by a 2nd UV exposure and sterilization. The system maintains an enclosed sterile environment throughout its water treatment, from the first drop in to the last drop out - into a water tank or removable container. Besides delivering electricity and clean water, the system also functions as a cold storage room (8C°).
The system is particularly effective in areas often regarded as arid, but where there is actually a lot of moisture in the air. In those climates the machine can charge all day in the sun, and produce water all night when the air is moist.
Since the units are small, not too expensive and can operate on easily produceable biogas, they are ideal for use in remote rural sites and could bring two essential goods to millions: water and electricity.
[Entry ends here].
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: water :: electricity :: biogas :: Africa ::
More than a billion people living in rural areas in the developing world do not have access either to electricity or to clean drinking water. The results are well known: epidemics, high child mortality and general under-development. According to the UN's Millennium Statement this number of people will only increase. That is why access to clean water is one of the Millennium Development Goals.
Until now, providing clean water and electricity to areas like the African Sahel, the jungles of Laos or the steppes of Turkmenistan has been both technically difficult and economically unrealistic. German engineer Ingo Herr has been working on the problem for many years. Together with Austrian engineer Leopold Ritter they created a compact container unit that produces clean drinking water extracted from the atmosphere.
The patented system, named AguaSolara, operates as a portable biogas or photovoltaic power station and efficiently extracts water from the atmosphere simply by tapping into nature's continuous cycle of evaporation and condensation. At any given moment, the earth's atmosphere contains 4,000 cubic miles of water, which is just .000012% of the 344 million cubic miles of water on earth. Nature maintains this ratio via evaporation and condensation, irrespective of the activities of man. Humidity and temperature drive the machine.
As it extracts water, it sterilises each drop within a few seconds of its formation by exposure to ultra-violet light. UV light waves fracture the DNA strands within bacteria, virii, and other micro-organisms which kills them instantly. This sterilised water is then passed through a unique patented 1-micron activated carbon water filter. (The average size of bacteria is 5 microns). This filter removes any possible solid particles, toxic chemicals, volatile organics, and other contaminates as well as any odors, taste, or discoloration. This filtration is followed by a 2nd UV exposure and sterilization. The system maintains an enclosed sterile environment throughout its water treatment, from the first drop in to the last drop out - into a water tank or removable container. Besides delivering electricity and clean water, the system also functions as a cold storage room (8C°).
The system is particularly effective in areas often regarded as arid, but where there is actually a lot of moisture in the air. In those climates the machine can charge all day in the sun, and produce water all night when the air is moist.
Since the units are small, not too expensive and can operate on easily produceable biogas, they are ideal for use in remote rural sites and could bring two essential goods to millions: water and electricity.
[Entry ends here].
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: water :: electricity :: biogas :: Africa ::
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home