There are too many problems related to water today; chiefly the environmental (and carcinogenic) impact of plastic bottles, wastage of water and lack of access to good drinking water, especially in more deprived areas of the world.
The ‘fountains of life’ of the 21st century are oddly shaped, in comparison to ancient models but here they are.

I. WaterCone
Clean water in the middle of nowhere.
Years ago, a desert-survival guide on television showed how you could use condensation to get drink-safe water in a place where it doesn’t even rain. The WaterCone uses the same process and integrates it into a maximum-efficiency design.

The beauty of using such a simple process, besides the obvious cheapness of the device, is that you could pour the undrinkable salty or brackish water into the black base because only H20 would accumulate in the compartment above. Everything you pour out the top is drinkable.
The cone shape maximizes solar exposure while the black base absorbs as much heat from the sun as possible. We don’t recommend using this for absolutely filthy water because you never know what heat-resistant bacteria could colonise the fresh water above.

II. Zuvo Water Purator
Clean water at home.
It’s a common fact that millions of people don’t like consuming kitchen tap water. It’s a not-so-common fact that a 200ml of Perrier can cost way more than a tank full of petrol.
It removes lead, chlorine, microorganisms and more, but still leaves in the fluoride to keep your teeth healthy. The $200 Water Purator from Zuvo uses UV light, filtration and ozone to treat tap water, creating the same old H2O – just a little purer and tastier. This too makes use of a natural process; that which happens in the earth’s upper atmosphere. Ultraviolet light is beamed onto ozone-rich water from a 27-watt lamp and this releases powerful oxidisers which treat the water. It does the same job as chlorine, just faster and with no chemical residue or aftertaste. After a round of filtration, the process is repeated.
The mechanism sounds foolproof and fancy but you really can’t use this device with filthy water. It’s only meant to work on tap water. Is it a Green Gadget? Yes, if it’s your alternative to plastic bottled and not just an addition to them.

III. The Source Project
Clean water on the road.
We credit Oliver Craig with the idea of coming up with a system (and the technology) to allow people access to instant and pure water refills. The sleek filling stations will stand on the pavements like candy dispensers, only you won’t have to fish for coins for each refill. A one-time purchase of the bottle will do.
They’ve also added the incentive of giving you refill points that can be redeemed at stores that support the Source Project. The positive environmental impact is pretty significant and our only regrets are that this system is still at the prototype stage. Its creators still need to work past the obvious hygiene problems and perhaps reconsider their bottle size to make it more marketable.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, September 3rd, 2009 at 12:51 am and is filed under Gadgets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.