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NEWS
Check out this interesting article on India: We thought we were the only ones with this kind of problem, but India is really hurting.
www.indaindia.org/intro_desalination.htm
Read more...Watercones for HAITI school children
Read more...
What is the Watercone®? | About Water
The Watercone®
is a mobile, lightweight, easy-to-use and portable one-person solar still, which transforms saltwater (e.g. seawater) into purified drinking water alone by way of sunshine. The technology is simple in design and use and its use is described in simple pictograms which you can find in Downloads. With up to 1 ½ liters in 24 hours the Watercone® is an ideal device to create a child’s daily need of freshwater.
UNICEF: "every day 5000 children die as a result of diarrhea caused by drinking unsafe water."
The WATERCONE® system is a one step water condensation process with a 40% effectiveness degree (GTZ Germany). Based on evaporation levels of 8.8 liters per square meter (average solar irradiation in Casablanca, Morocco), the WATERCONE® (with a base diameter of roughly 31.5", 80 cm) yields between 1.0 to 1.5 liters of condensed water per day (24 hours). The salty / brackish water evaporates by way of solar irradiation and the condensation from that water appears in the form of droplets on the inner wall of the cone. These droplets trickle down the inner wall into a circular trough at the inner base of the cone.
Philosophy of the Watercone® concept:
"Many peripheral, de-centralized small units will ensure a better supply of freshwater than one central big generator. If the big one fails, there is no water generation for anyone. If a small one fails, the other ones still keep on working.“
About Water
- One look at our planet shows that more than 70% of the global surface is covered by water.
- Of the Earth's water reserves, 97.2% reserves are covered by oceanic saltwater and therefore mostly inappropriate for human consumption and use. The remaining 2.7% of freshwater is equally unavailable to man as it is confined to the Ice of the polar caps and mountain glaciers. Only ground water (0.625 % of Earth's total water reserves) and the water from rivers and lakes (0.017%) remain easily accessible to man.
- For ecological, economical, geographical and / or political reasons, 40% (2.5 billion) of the world`s population has no access to clean potable water.
- Clean Potable Water in Disadvantaged Regions - At the moment most people in poor and sunny regions of the world must settle for dirty water for daily use. Seawater is no source, as most desalination units are cumbersome, need constant technical maintenance and support and most importantly very expensive. The Watercone is simple, mobile and lightweight (2 kgs), hence extremely easy to use.
- Clean Potable Water for Baby - Relief Aid Shipments of milk powder into hunger zones often end up in failure as there is a lack of clean potable water on location and the milk powder is mixed with impure water invariably leading to illnesses amongst the children. With the Watercone, mothers can easily create their own water to blend it with milk powder and make it safe nutrition for their children.
- Condensed Water - Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) is a WHO (World Health Organization) recommended compound of salts and minerals which are added to the condensed water. If salts and minerals are not readily available, one can add 1 -1.5 % of sea water to the condensed water to reach the desirable level of minerals and salts. Evidently, one should ensure that the sea water used be unpolluted.
