#255 - SODIS, AWGs, and trouble in Fort Worth & Tijuana
Water Water Everywhere...
Hey Readers,
This week we have a double-barrel dose of news and innovations. Let’s get to the not-so-good news first.
News Roundup
Mexico wants water that the US wont give them
The Trump administration has denied a special request from Mexico for the delivery of Colorado River water to the city of Tijuana — marking the first such denial in 81 years. Read more in this article from the Hill.
This time it’s the city of Fort Worth, Texas - they have filed a lawsuit against per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) manufacturers 3M and DuPont, as well as the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) for PFAS contamination in the city’s drinking water. Fort Worth is seeking $400 million in damages to pay the price for the cleanup of the city's waterways. Read more in this article from the Newsweek.
Innovations Roundup
This Kolkata-based innovator has looked at the functioning systems of an air-conditioner, and used that process in reverse to build a variety of machines to pull water out of air. As shown in the graphic below, the systems pull air from the atmosphere, filters out airborne contaminants and then is passed over condensor coils (much like those in your A/C or fridge). This causes the water to condense out of air.
They store this water in a larger storage tank, from where it is run through a multi-filtration module (much like standard over the counter RO water filters) to produce clean drinkable water. They have built machines to cater to a variety of use cases, from a drinking fountain that generates 50L / day to a building scale unit that can produce over 5,000 L /day. Onwards and upwards we say.
Solar-powered rainwater cleaning
In response to water stress in her area of Brazil, this young innovator created a solar powered solution to purify rainwater collected in cisterns in remote areas without consistent power supply. In Brazil, rural communities of over 1 million people use rainwater harvesting systems. So to give these folks access to clean water, the unclean water from the rainwater collecting tank/ cistern is pumped into a holding basin where the sun’s radiation is used to kill microorganisms. This basin has a tap from where the user can get clean water.
This efficient device can work without replacement for up to 20 years, since it does not need chemicals or complex filters. What’s more, 10 liters of treated water costs just US$0.02. The basin itself may need periodic cleaning with soap and water, but no other high tech components to be replaced. So far, over 38,000 people actively use these solutions across Brazil and Ecuador. Over the next 3 years, they hope to optimize manufacturing costs and reach 1 million people by taking the technology to other countries in America, Africa and Asia.
That is it for this Friday, until next week,
Peace!