3D-Printed Invention Produces 2 Liters of Drinking Water Each Hour out of Thin Air
Did you know? By 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas where water scarcity is prevalent. This is concerning, but fortunately, not unsolvable. In fact, a 22-year-old Indian entrepreneur has already presented a solution.
Jawwad Patel, an engineering student, has developed an invention that converts atmospheric moisture into potable drinking water. In other words, it pulls water from the air to produce drinkable water within a short period of time.
Perhaps most notable is the fact that the device — dubbed the ‘Dewdrop’ — was 3D-printed. Tech Story reports that the invention sucks in air using a fan, filters dust, and then condenses moisture using the Thomson and Peltier effect to produce mineralized water. The water is then stored for drinking. When the container is emptied, it begins the process once again.
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Because the Dewdrop weighs approximately two pounds, it is easy to carry wherever you go. It is powered by a 12V 6000 man Li-ion battery and can produce about 1.86 liters per hour of potable drinking water. In the desert, the 3D-printed invention can generate 1.2 liters per hour.
The engineering student devised the interface to control the operation of the device and its sensors, which detect humidity, temperature, and a few other factors. Reportedly, Jawwad is already working on the next version of the product. His plan is to incorporate a solar cell to power the Dewdrop and to provide the user with the choice of hot or cold water.
Because he is from India, Jawwad is well-aware of the hardship that accompanies water shortages. When he visited a small town in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, for instance, he witnessed people struggling to survive without water. It affirmed the need to develop an invention that can pull water from the air, so people with limited resources don’t die of something as simple as thirst.
Jawwad sees the device being used by mountaineers and explorers, the poor and impoverished and by campers who visit deserts and remote forests.
Though the device is news-worthy, it isn’t the first invention to pull and store water from the air. In the past, Fontus and Water-gen developed devices that convert atmospheric moisture to water — but using a different technology. Fontus designed a water bottle that is solar-powered and consists of a condenser connected to a series of hydrophobic resources that repel water, then collect it. Water-gen developed the Atmospheric Water Generation (AWG) that works by dehumidifying air as in air-conditioners. The Israeli product sucks air, cools it down and, as a result, consent water and recycles cold air. The AWG can yield up to 450 liters of water each day.
Watch the video below to learn more:
At his core, Jawwad is an inventor. He became passionate about electronics around the age of 12-13, and eventually had his own laboratory to experiment thanks to his supportive parents. A strict follower of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Jawwad wants the government to install tech incubation centers for teenagers to help them innovate.
The areas of innovation he is particularly interested in are water, energy, and healthcare. He considers these the three main fields in which India faces many problems. The 22-years-old seeks to take his products to the rural masses through government channels, rather than private companies.
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This post appeared first at Real Farmacy
