22-Year-Old Indian Entrepreneur's Invention Could Put An End To Water Scarcity

Did you know? By 2025, approximately 1.8 billion people are going to live in regions where water scarcity is prevalent. That's concerning, but luckily, not unsolvable. A 22-year-old Indian entrepreneur has actually already suggested a solution.

Jawwad Patel, an engineering student, has recently developed an invention which converts atmospheric moisture into potable drinking water. That means that the device pulls water from the air in order to produce drinkable water within a short time period.

Jawwad Patel

Most notable is perhaps that the device — dubbed the ‘Dewdrop’ — was 3D-printed. As Tech Story reports, the invention sucks in air using a fan, filters dust and condenses moisture using the Thomson and Peltier effect in order to produce mineralized water. Then, the water is stored for drinking. Each time the container is emptied, it starts the process once again.

Since the Dewdrop weighs around two pounds, it's easy to carry it anywhere you go. The device is powered by a 12V 6000 man Li-ion battery. It can produce approximately 1.86 liters of potable drinking water per hour. In the desert, the 3D-printed invention can even generate 1.2 liters per hour.

Jawwad Patel

Patel devised the interface to control the device's operation and sensors, which detect humidity, temperature, as well as several other factors. Reportedly, Jawwad is currently working on the next version of his product. He plans to incorporate a solar cell in order to power the Dewdrop and to provide the users with the choice of hot or cold water.

Since he is from India, the engineering student is well-aware of the difficulties that accompany water shortages. For instance, when he had visited a town in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, he saw people struggling to survive without any water. That affirmed the urgency to develop an invention that could pull water from the air so that people with limited resources do not die of thirst.

Jawwad estimates that the device will be used by mountaineers and explorers, the poor and impoverished as well as by campers who visit deserts and remote areas.

Jawwad Patel

Although the device is news-worthy, it is not the first invention that pulls and stores water from the air. In the past, Fontus and Water-gen had developed devices which convert atmospheric moisture to water, though they used different technologies. Fontus designed a water bottle which is solar-powered and involves a condenser connected to a series of hydrophobic resources which repel water and then collect it. On the other hand, Water-gen developed the Atmospheric Water Generation (AWG) which works by dehumidifying air like in air-conditioners. That Israeli product sucks air, cools it down and, then, consents water and recycles cold air. That device can yield up to 450 liters of water per day.

You can watch the video below to learn more:

Still, at his core, Jawwad is an inventor. He has been passionate about electronics since he was 12-13 years old.He eventually had his own laboratory thanks to his supportive parents. A strict follower of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, he wishes that the government installed tech incubation centers for teenagers to encourage them to innovate.

The areas of innovation that particularly interest Jawwad are water, energy, and healthcare. He considers these to be the three primary fields in which India faces several problems. The engineering student wants to take his products to the rural masses via government channels, instead of private companies.

References: Tech Story, The Mind Unleashed