Karur firm creates device to harvest water from thin air

Sankar K, the Managing Partner of the company, sees the machine having multiple applications not just on the household front, but in defence, hospitality and even industries. He says, “Karur is a highly rain-deficient region. So, two years ago, we started looking for solutions to solve the drinking water crisis people are faced with during the summer. We began working on a technology to harvest water by condensing moisture from the atmospheric air using the refrigeration method. We assembled our first machine – the AWG in Mumbai successfully and decided we could make it a saleable product. We launched the product two weeks ago. Currently, the household range has a capacity of 20 litres and we have priced it at Rs 50,000. We also have a 100-litre and a 1,000-litre machine priced at Rs 1.75 lakh and Rs 11 lakh tentatively.” 

He adds, “The best time to harvest water is between 6 pm and 6 am which is when the moisture content is adequate. This works very well in coastal regions as well, owing to the proximity to the ocean. Cost-wise, you end up paying Rs 3 or Rs 3.50 per litre owing to the power consumption. We are targeting homes to start with, followed by commercial establishments, industries, hospitals, hospitality services, and of course, even the armed forces, where the soldiers are posted in regions with little or no access to water. The machine has been built in such a way that it can also double up as an RO water processing unit.” 

Sankar is optimistic of his business picking up soon as he says, “The Prime Minister had recently met an Israeli delegation and there were agreements to work on both condensation-based and desalination-based technologies. This bodes well for companies like ours. Our factory in Karur is currently capable of manufacturing 100 machines per month. Depending on the demand, we can ramp up production to 200 machines a month. Our short term goal is to be able to sell at least 1,000 units a year. As many as 10 orders have been placed for the AWGs from the household segment itself.” 

The AWG had a lot of enquiries during the defence expo and received a positive feedback from the Indian Navy and Army too. A five-star hotel in Chennai has also evinced interest in acquiring this machine, signs off Sankar.

Shree Renga Polymers is a manufacturer of polyester staple fibres – dope dyed colours and specialities. Their primary business involves conversion of pet bottles into polyester fibres that can be used to make garments, carpets and auto accessories like floor mats and boot mats. The company, founded in 2008, recycles close to 7.5 lakh bottles a day, which are sourced from various districts in TN and neighbouring Kerala.