Turning Trash into Treasure: Old Tires Power a Low-Cost Water Purifier
A team of Canadian scientists has developed a groundbreaking new device that can purify a gallon of watera day for just a few cents. The best part? It’s made from old tires and can even generate a small amount of electricity.
Water scarcity is aglobal crisis, with clean drinking water being a luxury for many. While the planet is abundant in water, the irony lies in the fact that very little of it is safefor consumption. Oceans are too salty, and rivers and lakes are often heavily polluted, leaving millions without access to this basic necessity. However, a new invention from researchers at Dalhousie University in Canada could offer a low-cost solution to this problem.
The device, a floating solar-powered evaporator, utilizes a familiar design. It draws water from below and uses the heat of solar radiation to evaporate it. The water then condenses on the dome, which directs it into a bag for collection.
This device has been tested in real-world conditions, producing up to 3.67 liters (15.5 US cups) of fresh water per square meter of material per day. This is about 1.5 times the daily water requirement for an average person. For larger-scale applications,serving entire communities, the device can be scaled up by creating larger evaporators or deploying a fleet of them across the water surface.
Cost-Effective and Eco-Friendly
The device’s affordability is equally impressive. The cost of producing water using this method is only 0.86 cents per liter. This remarkable cost-effectiveness is achieved by using old tires as the primary material, a stark contrast to similar devices that rely on expensive materials like gold and silver.
The tires undergo a process called pyrolysis, where they are heated at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen, producing carbon-rich char. This charis then mixed with titanium carbide, a material that captures light and converts it into heat, thus driving the evaporation process. A thin, paper-like layer of this material is placed on top of the floating foam under the dome.
A Double Bonus: Electricity Generation
Adding to its impressive features, the device can also generatea small amount of electricity through the thermoelectric effect. While not enough to power a household, this electricity can be used to power small water quality sensors.
A Promising Solution for Underserved Communities
While several solar-powered evaporator designs exist, including those that collect water from the air and those that float onwater, this new design stands out for its affordability. This makes it a particularly attractive solution for developing countries and remote areas where such devices are most needed.
We shouldn’t be making devices that are expensive or very complex, said Dr. Mitra Dasog, co-first author of the study. Itneeds to be easy to manufacture, something that can last a long time, and easy to disassemble and move. This, coupled with its electricity generation capabilities, makes it a truly remarkable invention.
The research has been published in the journal iScience. This innovative device offers a promising solution to the global water crisis,turning a common waste product into a valuable resource, and demonstrating the power of sustainable innovation.
Views: 0