Water resources across the planet are becoming scarcer with each passing day and it is a bit ironic that even though three quarters of the planet surface is covered with water, 97% of that is almost useless for our daily use. Fresh water resources are few on the planet and they constitute a mere 2-3% of all water resources available. With growing population and growing industrial and urban need along with it, reduction in usage of water and reusing it is of great significance. Grey Water technology has developed amazingly well in the past decade, yet most homes across the planet seem to be almost oblivious of it. Now is the time you can change that with the SolarVoir.
SolarVoir is a modular household appliance for collecting used domestic water to recycle and reuse it for multiple times. It also uses a UV technology to decontaminate water. Ashok Gadgil, inventor and scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, is a philanthropist and inventor. With this product, it is now possible to reuse dozens of liters of water which is a product of domestic activities, and which, otherwise, would go to waste. The product aims to recycle and reuse water which is extracted as a result of laundry, dishwashing, showering, etc. for secondary actions like car-washing, irrigation, flower-watering, flushing, etc.
This product foresees a paradigm shift and a future scenario, in which pipe inlets and outlets of all domestic appliances are made to be more accessible. This improved accessibility is a must to make the most of the water we use for domestic activities. SolarVoir comes in three main sub-parts. The top panel hosts the user interface and also the solar cells which absorb the energy needed to operate the appliance. This top panel can be removed from the rest of the appliance, to be easily laid out in the sun. Recycled water is stored in the reservoir, which can take up to 40 liters. Each reservoir has an outlet and an inlet. The outlet is below the inlet so that if the reservoir gets full, water can continue flowing out to the general system.
The rack holds the system together and also stores the small motor to pump up the recycled water when needed. More than one reservoir can be added to the system, whereas the advisory initial purchase package includes one. Buttons help the removal of the reservoirs. Recycled HDPE (high density polyethylene) is to be used to make the “reservoir” parts of the product. The other parts will be made of mainly ABS plastic. The SolarVoir helps an entire community in its effort to reduce the wastage of water and in its commitment towards Grey water management. Such wonderful and easy to use gadgets could really help quicken the much needed grey water revolution.
