Aqua-Cura Solar

Target Countries

Congo (Kinshasa), India

Target SDGs

Market Suggested Retail Price

$28,000.00

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Community, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

Aqua-Cura

Competitive Landscape

Direct competitors include WateROAM ROAMfilter Plus, AidGear Oasis-3 Water Purification System, and GravityPure UF.

Countries

Congo (Kinshasa), India

Manufacturing/Building Method

Manufactured by Aqua-Cura

Intellectural Property Type

Patent Protected

User Provision Model

Aqua-Cura sells and implements the system to the customer

Distributions to Date Status

~100Interview with manufacturer

Design Specifications

Contaminated water is pumped into the system where it undergoes bacterial sterilization, metal filtration, and turbidity reduction. Powered by solar panels on the roof of the system, the Aqua-Cura produces roughly 500 L of drinking water per hour.

Technical Support

Provided by Aqua-Cura

Replacement Components

The filter contents need to be replaced once a year at a cost that is roughly 1,000 USD in total. The lamps in the sterilizers need to be replaced every 2 years at an estimated cost of 400 USD. Interview with manufacturer

Lifecycle

With proper maintenance and replacement of critical components, this unit should last in excess of 5 years.Interview with manufacturer

The filter lifespan is three years, the sterilizer lamp lifespan is 12,000 operating hours, and the electronic unit lifespan is 20,000.

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

The system provides 500 L of clean drinking water per hour of operation.

Vetted Performance Status

The system passes all the South African National Standards for Potable Drinking Water.

Safety

The system constantly monitors the two sterilizers. Should one become unserviceable, the system will keep flashing a warning on the control unit screen. Should both sterilizers stop working, the system immediately shuts down. Additionally, the pressure is electronically monitored and will give a warning when filters need to be cleaned. If no attention is given to this, the system shuts off and will only restart once the filters have been cleaned. All solenoids are monitored and the system will not start up if any solenoid is not powered up properly. Battery voltages are also monitored and the system will shut down before battery levels reach a critical low point which will cause damage to the batteries. All management data such as flow rate, total liters, battery voltage, solar panel voltage and power consumption per sterilizer can be obtained by a text message request. All data are then automatically sent back via text message. Interview with manufacturer

Complementary Technical Systems

Additional options are available for removing toxic metals such as arsenic and mercury.

The unit only operates effectively with neutral pH water, Aqua-Cura offers equipment attachments to change pH levels if the influent water does not meet this standard.

Custom power sources can be incorporated such as diesel or petrol generator sets.

Academic Research and References

Compliance with regulations

The system passes all the South African National Standards for Potable Drinking Water.

Evaluation methods

The system was verified by WaterLab, an accredited SANAS lab.