News Details : Envirosource International

Envirosource among Top 10 companies committed to protect environment..

25/02/2007 23:40:54 PM

Turn air into water - Plumbing Connection December 2006 edition

Turn air into water - Plumbing Connection December 2006 edition The dream of harnessing pure drinking water supplies from the air we breathe is now a practical, affordable reality, and the implications are huge, writes John Power. The creation of pure water from air would turn any alchemist's frown into a grin. Noe the ambition has been realised commercially with Envirosource Digital Technology atmospheric water generator, which looks like a conventional water stand but never needs refilling from an external source. This technology is based on familiar air conditioning principles- we've all seen water dripping from air conditioning units on a hot day- but the trick has been to capture and treat significant volumes of condensation without cooling the ambient air or accupying too much floorspace. Like many modern technologies, the research and development behind this product has been extensive, involving partnerships between Envirosource in Australia. Wataire Industries in Canada and Winix in Korea. Thousands of units have been installed in homes and offices in 32 countries since roll-out began three years ago, and research and development is continuing apace in Australia and overseas. The domestic model (WAW-4012) according to Envirosource's Melbourne- based director Peter Kagioglou, is capable of producing 12-24L of water per day, depending on air tempreture and levels of humidity. The higher the humidity and tempreture levels the greater the water output. On average, the standard daily production in an average- humidity city like Melbourne is enough to satisfy the requirements of a 10-person office. Units consume about the same amount of power as a refrigerator, or approximately 0.7kWh of electricity per day."It works out at about five cents per litre," Peter says. "The idea came from an air conditioner, which sucks humidity out of the air." he explains."Air is drawn in through a filtered grate at the front of the unit and then the water is stored in a conatainer in the body of the unit." Units are equiped to dispense either chilled or heated(80C) flows, and an inportant feature of the systemis its purification process. Once water has been produced it passes through four filters - sediment, pre-carbon, UF and post-carbon- before flowinf through a UV purifier. This extensive treatment ensures fresh water of pristine quality. As a means of maximising efficiency water production ceases if the storage comartment is full. Terrence Nylander, general manager - global industries at Wataire Industries in Canada, says the system is designed to be as maintanance-friendly as possible, costing about $ 10 per month to keep in top condition. The general upkeep is about the same as one would expect for a conventional bottled water dispenser. Applications are unlimited, from homes, offices and workplaces where access to main plumbing lines may be restricted or awkward, to waiting rooms, unplumbed retail outlets, etc. The WAW-4012 is available for purchase or hire. One of the obvious questions facing Australians in current drought conditions is; can the technology be used to produse commercial quantities of water? The answer is 'yes'. As Peter explains, there are already two industrial-sized units available (CI-2500 Module an CI-5000 Module), capable of producing 2500L and 5000L respectively of fresh water per day. Both units are mobile and can be mounted on the back of a semitrailer for use in roadwork construction, home building or any other job in a location where tanker- supplied water is inappropriate due to distance or terrain. Peter is also enthusiastic about another Envirosource atmospheric water generator sustem that truly has the potential to change urban planning and health principles. The company has just installed its first 'Water-producing greenhouse', which is available to produce 200,000L of water per day in seaside areas, in Oman. Unlike the abovementioned air conditioning-based technology, the Greenhouse unit produces condensation by pumping sea water from two depths- near the surface, and at 500m- and using the differences in tempreture to create an ongoing cycle of condensation producing and collection via an array of coils. No saltwater is kept or treated in the process, as the circulating sea water is nothing more than a means of extracting water vapour from the air. A welcome by_product of this technology is warm air that can also be harnessed to create a greenhouse, which is useful for growing vegetable crops.

15/03/2007 22:57:35 PM