Ankita
Member • Nov 13, 2011
IIT Kharagpur Students Design Innovative & Cheap Water Filtration System
Three students of IIT-Kharagpur have come up with an innovative and cheap water filtration system that may go a long way in making pure water available the people in rural areas.Priced at Rs 300, the filter uses four-stage purification process which amalgamates a combination of ultra violet (UV) disinfection and plant extracts among others. The best thing is that the filter doesn’t require high maintenance, and electricity.
Deepesh Kumar, Pankaj Agarwal and Shobhit Jain, who slogged for one year to come up with this filter, have applied for three patents — first on its filtration system, secondly the use of plant extracts, and thirdly sand filtration process.
The interesting part is that the filter uses solar energy for ultra violet disinfection. In other filters uses a separate source powered by electricity for UV disinfection. Moreover, four kinds of plant extracts are used in the filter, which they have named it “Huedor†(water in Greek).“We are targeting to complete the pilot-testing stage in villages of West Bengal by April, 2012. And if things go according to plan, our product will be available throughout India and the rural markets of Africa by the beginning of September 2012,†said Deepesh, who could not hold his excitement.
Earlier this year, the trio had been invited to RICE University in USA to display their product in the largest business competition of the world. The purification unit not only managed to impress the business community in Texas, but also managed to attract investments to the tune of hundred thousand dollars.
The idea to develop a viable and effective water filter system came up during one of their field trips.“We found water was scarce in the villages and people collected water from open ponds,†said Pankaj. With parts of Bengal affected by the arsenic contamination of water, the trio now ants to incorporate system that would be able to bring down the arsenic level in water or make it completely free of the toxic element.
Source: #-Link-Snipped-#
Deepesh Kumar, Pankaj Agarwal and Shobhit Jain, who slogged for one year to come up with this filter, have applied for three patents — first on its filtration system, secondly the use of plant extracts, and thirdly sand filtration process.
The interesting part is that the filter uses solar energy for ultra violet disinfection. In other filters uses a separate source powered by electricity for UV disinfection. Moreover, four kinds of plant extracts are used in the filter, which they have named it “Huedor†(water in Greek).“We are targeting to complete the pilot-testing stage in villages of West Bengal by April, 2012. And if things go according to plan, our product will be available throughout India and the rural markets of Africa by the beginning of September 2012,†said Deepesh, who could not hold his excitement.
Earlier this year, the trio had been invited to RICE University in USA to display their product in the largest business competition of the world. The purification unit not only managed to impress the business community in Texas, but also managed to attract investments to the tune of hundred thousand dollars.
The idea to develop a viable and effective water filter system came up during one of their field trips.“We found water was scarce in the villages and people collected water from open ponds,†said Pankaj. With parts of Bengal affected by the arsenic contamination of water, the trio now ants to incorporate system that would be able to bring down the arsenic level in water or make it completely free of the toxic element.
Source: #-Link-Snipped-#