German company Aqua-society has developed a device, called Aquamission, which extracts humidity from the air by condensation to produce drinking water. The device draws in large quantities of air, chill it to the point of condensation, and collects the water in a tank where it is filtered and mineralised. According to the manufacturer, in hot regions with high humidity, a single machine can produce up to 1,000 litres of water per day, enough for the daily needs of 300 people. US company Vapaire, produces a similar type of device. India may prove to be a lucrative market for these devices, since it announced that it is cutting import duty on 'atmospheric drinking water generators' from 20 per cent to 5 per cent.

Based on same principle of condensation, the less sophisticated technology of fog collection has been tested in developing countries for nearly 20 years [1].

[1] FogQuest

Contact: Aqua-society, info@aqua-society.com, http://www.aqua-society.com/

Source: Umwelt Magazin / EEP Newsletter, 18 Feb 2005 ; Times of India, 28 Feb 2005

Tags: water collection