Quality Testing of Air Conditioner Condensate and Its Potential in Water Conservation

Abstract

A major part of world is facing water shortages today. While the world’s population has grown to more than 7.75 billion, the quantity of sweet water has remained the same. The ever increasing use of water by such a large population has resulted in pollution of many water sources. The developing world where a large fraction of total world population is located faces water scarcity in a more severe manner than the developed world. The developed world has managed to control human population and preserve natural water resources more effectively. As a result of this and also due to stabilized population, they face lesser problems for water availability. Indian population stands at 1.386 billion as nowadays. The erratic monsoon rains over last few years have resulted in floods and subsequent water shortages in summer months in major part of the country. A similar situation is faced by many Asian and African countries. The means of recycling and using every possible source of water are always welcome in these countries. Since many of these countries lie in tropical or semitropical zone, the average relative humidity is more than 50% for most of the year. Changing life styles in these countries and spread of information technology based sectors have resulted in a growth spurt in air conditioning facilities. An air conditioner draws heat from surrounding air and cools the premises to desired temperature. During this process, a large amount of moisture in the atmosphere gets condensed and is drained out. There are no efforts made to recover this water in India and neighbouring countries. We have undertaken studies to check the quality of this water and see the feasibility of its use in a decentralized but effective manner. The results show that this water condensate from air conditioners is highly pure, substantial and available almost round the year. This can help in recovering millions of litres of good quality water daily. This water would find uses in industries, laboratories, households and farming. It would also create good business opportunities.