U.K.-based startup Aquavus is developing a new technology that uses ultrasound to purify and desalinate seawater and clean contaminated water. The system uses powerful ultrasound to blast impure water into particles of less than 10 microns, which then evaporate and condense to form pure water.
A single Aquavus unit can purify around 800 gallons a day—enough to supply clean water for 150 people each day in regions in the Global South where people consume just over five gallons per day for drinking, cooking and bathing.
The company says the technology is still in the developmental stages, although its alpha prototype machine worked in lab conditions. Aquavus has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $300,000 to build three beta prototypes, followed by the final Industrial machines, which the company hopes will lead to licensing across the world.
The final products will likely be priced below $1,000 for the seawater unit and $500 for the artesian and surface water units, the company says.
In May, Dow’s FILMTEC™ ECO Reverse Osmosis (RO) Elements won the Bronze Edison Award in the Energy/Sustainability and Commercial Resource Management category. The judging committee recognized FILMTEC ECO Technology for its ability to significantly reduce the energy required to remove impurities from water. The technology includes one of the most advanced water-purification polymer chemistries available today. FILMTEC ECO Elements can help deliver up to 40 percent better water purification while using up to 30 percent less energy, resulting in up to 19 percent lower operating costs.
Earlier this year, the Coca-Cola Company and WaterHealth International (WHI) announced a plan to bring safe drinking water to one million school children in 2,000 schools in countries in the Global South by the end of 2015. The Child With Water (CWW) program aims to deliver 500 million liters of safe drinking water a year to school children through water-purification systems installed, operated and maintained by WHI. Currently operating more than 500 plants in five countries, WHI provides safe drinking water access to about 5 million people.