Indian Institute of Technology-Madras will collaborate with Teerthaa, a sustainable technology company, to develop a device that can generate potable water from air. Called ‘NERO,’ the ‘optimised desiccant solar-still device’ will produce 4-5 litres of potable water daily.
The product will be cost-effective, as it is intended for the mass market, and will have negligible operating costs as its power source will be solar energy. It will also have minimal maintenance cost as there are no moving parts.
The MoU was signed on Wednesday by Ravindra Gettu, Dean (Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research), IIT-Madras, and Durga Das, CEO, Teerthaa.
Teerthaa, formerly known as Akash Ganga, has pioneered the technology of extracting water from thin air and delivered systems to 2,800 customers in the last 14 years saving six lakh litres of water every day, says a press release from IIT-Madras.
“We brought the first Indian-built atmospheric water generator in India 14 years ago and hold a patent for the same. Now we will bring the first solution that will generate 4-5 litres of water without any electricity and maintenance cost,” Das said in the release.
The proposed technology traps water molecules from the atmospheric air during the night and yields water during the day by utilising solar energy, the release said.