Water Pyramid
Encyclopedia
A Water Pyramid or WaterPyramid is a village-scale solar still
, designed to distill water
using solar energy for remote communities without easy access to clean, fresh water. It provides a means whereby communities can produce potable drinking water from saline
, brackish
or polluted water sources.
, founded Aqua-Aero Water Systems in order to develop water treatment and purification systems. In the early 2000s, the company invented the WaterPyramid technology. The first WaterPyramid was engineered and installed in collaboration with MWH Global
, an international environmental engineering firm, in the country of Gambia in 2005. The WaterPyramid desalination systems were awarded the World Bank Development Marketplace award in 2006.
Operation of each pyramid is the responsibility of the local community, generating employment opportunities for the village. Since the water produced by the Pyramid is distilled water
, there are also business uses for excess water production, such as the filling of batteries, which provide additional income to the village.
Solar still
A solar still is a low-tech way of distilling water, powered by the heat of the sun . Two basic types of solar stills are box and pit stills. In a solar still, impure water is contained outside the collector, where it is evaporated by sunlight shining through clear plastic...
, designed to distill water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
using solar energy for remote communities without easy access to clean, fresh water. It provides a means whereby communities can produce potable drinking water from saline
Saline water
Saline water is a general term for water that contains a significant concentration of dissolved salts . The concentration is usually expressed in parts per million of salt....
, brackish
Brackish water
Brackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing of seawater with fresh water, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root "brak," meaning "salty"...
or polluted water sources.
History
Martijn Nitzsche, an engineer from the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, founded Aqua-Aero Water Systems in order to develop water treatment and purification systems. In the early 2000s, the company invented the WaterPyramid technology. The first WaterPyramid was engineered and installed in collaboration with MWH Global
MWH Global
MWH Global is a global Wet Infrastructure firm, providing technical engineering, construction services and consulting solutions to protect, enhance, store and distribute water. The firm has provided planning, design and construction management services for a wide range of water resources projects...
, an international environmental engineering firm, in the country of Gambia in 2005. The WaterPyramid desalination systems were awarded the World Bank Development Marketplace award in 2006.
Description
The pyramid stands about 26 feet (8 meters) tall, 100 feet (30 meters) in diameter, and has a conical shape. It is constructed of plastic sheeting, which is inflated using a fan powered by solar energy generated by the pyramid. Within the pyramid, temperatures reach up to 167 degrees F (75 degrees C), which evaporates water pumped into thin layer of water inside the cone. Distilled water runs down the sides of the pyramid wall and is collected by gutters that feed into a collection tank. When sunshine is replaced by rain, the falling water is also collected around the edge of the base of the cone and stored for use in dry weather. Each pyramid can desalinate approximately 265 gallons (1000 liters) of water each day. To increase water production, a village simply adds additional pyramids.Operation of each pyramid is the responsibility of the local community, generating employment opportunities for the village. Since the water produced by the Pyramid is distilled water
Distilled water
Distilled water is water that has many of its impurities removed through distillation. Distillation involves boiling the water and then condensing the steam into a clean container.-History:...
, there are also business uses for excess water production, such as the filling of batteries, which provide additional income to the village.
See also
- DesalinationDesalinationDesalination, desalinization, or desalinisation refers to any of several processes that remove some amount of salt and other minerals from saline water...
- Solar Powered Desalination UnitSolar Powered Desalination UnitA Solar Powered Desalination Unit designed for remote communities has been tested in the Northern Territory of Australia.The Reverse Osmosis Solar Installation uses membrane filtration to provide a reliable and clean drinking water stream from sources such as brackish groundwater...
- Solar stillSolar stillA solar still is a low-tech way of distilling water, powered by the heat of the sun . Two basic types of solar stills are box and pit stills. In a solar still, impure water is contained outside the collector, where it is evaporated by sunlight shining through clear plastic...
- Seawater GreenhouseSeawater GreenhouseThe Seawater Greenhouse is a technology that enables the growth of crops in arid regions, using a greenhouse structure, seawater and solar energy...
External links
- Inventor of the WaterPyramid, Aqua-Aero Water Systems: www.aaws.nl
- Collaborative engineering and consulting firm MWH: mwhglobal.com
- Same idea on a smaller scale: The Watercone