Solar distillation

Introduction

Template:Stub Solar distillation is the use of solar energy to evaporate water, then collecting the recondensed water vapor. Unlike other forms of water purification it can turn salt or brackish water into fresh drinking water.

Often a shallow trough, painted black, and flooded. A slanted pane of glass covering, allowing condensed water vapor to slide down into an output channel. Expect 1 gallon per day per square meter of glass.

In 1999, the average American used 60 gallons of water per day (http://www.aquacraft.com/Publications/resident.htm)

Watercone®

The Watercone®[1] is a solar powered water desalinator. It is claimed to be simple to use, lightweight and mobile. It is designed to produce 1.5 liters a day.

The WATERCONE® is a long lasting UV resistant Poly Carbonate product and can be used up to 5 years daily. The material is non-toxic, non-flammable and 100% recyclable. The black pan for the saltwater is already made out of 100% recycled PC. Even when the WATERCONE® becomes old and tarnished, it can still be used to collect rain water, as a roof panel or container for other goods.

The Watercone® project is looking for investors and companies to initiate mass production tooling and distribution. So the Watercone can be manufactured for a lower price and become affordable to the people in need... Single products are not available at the moment!

[2]

Cost: The Sietch Blog gives the price as € 20. This works out cheaper than bottled water once it is used for a number of months; however the target market cannot afford to buy bottled water, so this is not a good comparison. It needs to become much cheaper before it can achieve widespread use. The design looks very simple and suitable for mass-production, so a cheaper price does seem feasible.

Watercone external links

Treehugger
Watercone - An Ingenious Way To Turn Salt Water Into Fresh Water - The Sietch Blog

Temporary content from Solar water treatment

As suggested above, years from now, when your Watercone® wears out, you can use it to collect rainwater for the gravity drip irrigation system exhibited at the recent <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/8/10/19154/3051">Design for the Other 90%</a> show at NYC's Cooper-Hewitt Museum.

Change the color of the gravity drip bag to black and you have a solar hot water heater. [See Simple Solar Rules above.]

I plant my garden a month or six weeks early by practicing <a href="http://solarray.blogspot.com/2005/03/recycled-solar.html">Recycled Solar</a>. Place a ring of plastic bottles on the soil, fill them with water, plant seeds of your choice (I've grown tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, beans, and greens with this technique) in the middle, and cap it with another bottle with its bottom cut out. This makes a solar heated coldframe or cloche.

<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/30/142018/700">Solar IS Civil Defense</a>.

Links

Watercone - design for a solar still. Simple award-winning design, but expected to cost around $50 each.

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