Water scarcity is an impending crisis that has the potential to trigger the next world war, according to many experts. Despite this alarming prediction, there have been insufficient efforts to preserve our non-renewable sources of water. Year after year, the groundwater level continues to drop. But what if the ground wasn't our only source for clean water? Pardeep Garg, Swapnil Shrivastav, Venkatesh R, and Govinda Balaji asked the same question and founded their Bengaluru-based Uravu Labs that utilizes atmospheric moisture and only renewable energy to produce drinking water.
At Uravu Labs, water is created through a two-phase mechanism, starting with adsorption. During this phase, moisture from the ambient air is drawn into the system and passed over a desiccant material. Over a span of a couple of hours, this moisture is absorbed by the desiccant material.
The second phase, desorption, involves the release of the previously adsorbed moisture using thermal heat at temperatures below 90°C sourced from solar collectors, waste heat from industries, or even biomass waste. The heat is then utilized to warm a heat-transfer fluid, such as water, using a heat exchanger that raises the desiccant material to the required temperatures, resulting in the release of the earlier adsorbed moisture. Which is then condensed at ambient temperature in an air-cooled condenser, as 100 per cent renewable water. The desorption phase also lasts for a couple of hours.
The over-dependence of countless individuals and industries on groundwater has contributed significantly to the depletion of this vital resource. However, Uravu Labs offers a glimmer of hope by tapping into the abundant water present in the air. In fact, the water vapor in the atmosphere contains as much water as six times the total amount found in all the world's rivers combined. Acting as a limitless natural reservoir of freshwater, this moisture replenishes itself every eight to ten days. By harnessing this inexhaustible source with the aid of renewable energy, Uravu extracts high-quality, 100 percent renewable water, providing a solution to the looming crisis of inadequate and contaminated drinking water that already poses a threat to our lives.
Uravu Labs currently targets the hospitality and beverage sectors, as they are the primary users of groundwater. According to Govinda, a 32-year-old representative of the company, they are also eyeing hotels, restaurants, and cafes as potential customers. Their product, packaged renewable water bottles, are sold to the hospitality industry at prices ranging from ₹4 to ₹8 per liter. With a current daily production capacity of 1,000 liters of water, Uravu Labs aims to expand their operations on a larger scale in the future.
Find out more about Uravu Labs here.
If you enjoyed reading this, here's more from Homegrown:
A Delhi-Based Design Studio Has Created A Terracotta Alternative To Air Conditioning
A Mumbai Community Project Has Created A One-Of-A-Kind Public Park Under an Overpass
A Homegrown Initiative Is Creating Multifunctional Shelters For Animals In Urban Spaces