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ZONNEWATER provides solar desalination solutions

4. Environment

Green design

Context

Desalination is often said to be a magic solution to water shortage, but it can become an ecological nightmare, with huge energy costs, the salt being rejected to the sea and destroying eco-systems.

Many existing techniques are used to convert seawater into drinking water, such as reverse osmosis, distillation or electrodialysis. But an only one meets the Earth’s requirements, and it is desalination through solar energy.

Objectives

- Zonnewater BV dutch company implements energy saving techniques, including the one converting saltwater into soft water and using solar energy, a non-polluting energy.

APPROACH

Zonnewater BV has developed an adapted solar thermal distillation system.

It was designed to produce drinking water in tropical and subtropical areas, both for people’s needs and for agricultural demand.The processed water originally comes from various sources; it might have been seawater, groundwater with mineral contaminants (arsenic for example), or come from degraded wells or polluted rivers.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

- Zonnewater BV has gained a competitive advantage on desalination market as it offers a cheap process that is eco-friendly above all.

Benefits

-The productivity has increased by more than 65% in some farming areas. 

- Desalination doesn’t rely on the use of fossil energies and as such, doesn’t take part in global warming.

- Some desertificating areas now have access to drinking water.
Country
Netherlands

Mise à jour le 30/05/2016

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