Water crisis: For most people in developed countries problems with drinking water does not exist: we can always open the tap and outflow the water. But on the globe a lot of places where people have access to drinking water only 1 time per week or have a daily walk several kilometers to a water source. For such regions, scientists are looking for ways to solve the water problem, create an innovative device that receives clean drinking water from the air.
Water crisis: a new device for obtaining water from the air
Recently, the results of the next competition held by the American Foundation X-Prize Foundation, which is engaged in supporting various innovations aimed at improving the quality of life on our planet, were summed up. The completed competition called Water Abundance was designed to determine the best innovation in the field of obtaining clean drinking water from the atmospheric air, which would work on a renewable energy source. The winner was the startup team Skysource / Skywater Alliance, which introduced a device called WEDEW.
This design is capable of removing the atmospheric air from 113 to 1335 liters of condensate per day, depending on the humidity of the air masses. WEDEW device cleans the condensate of impurities by using a carbon filter, and the result of his work there is clean drinking water, which is collected in a special tank. The device operates by decaying plant biomass and other organic matter, which releases biogas, thereby respecting the condition of the competition — work on renewable sources of energy.
The project has already received financial support and soon plans to launch devices in serial production. Such a system will certainly be very useful to the inhabitants of many countries where there is a shortage of drinking water.
The problem of drinking water has long been recognized as one of the main problems of mankind, because, according to research institutions, about 40% of the world population in varying degrees, suffering from lack of water. The problem of water scarcity is relevant to countries of the Middle East such as Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, for many regions of Pakistan and India, suffering from seasonal drought, during which millions of people are left without a stable source of supply.
But perhaps the most acute problem of shortage of drinking water is in Africa with its rapidly growing population. According to experts, more than 300 million Africans suffer from a lack of drinking water, and despite all the efforts of international organizations, to solve this problem have not yet succeeded.
Water scarcity provokes people to relocate, which is the cause of disease outbreaks and conflict between communities and even entire States. That is why the solution to the water question is one of the most important on the road to the sustainable development of human civilization.