A young woman scientist here has come out with a cost-effective desalination process, which has bagged her a prestigious international prize.
Devlina Das (27) converted sea water into drinking water using a unique five-step method powered by solar energy, earning this CSIR Senior Research Fellow at VIT University an award in Stockholm, Sweden, in the “2015 RELX Group Environmental Challenge”.
Devlina wants to use the $25,000 prize money to start a pilot water desalination project so her invention benefits all water-starved states in the country.
“The current scenario is such that ground and fresh-water resources are getting depleted day by day, and require an immediate move to be replenished. This inspired me the most to come up with this project,” Devlina told Deccan Herald on Sunday.
Explaining the uniqueness of her invention, she claimed current desalination plants across the country adopt Reverse Osmosis (RO), which wastes not only water but energy as well.
“The new method is energy-efficient and the unit does not require any huge construction,” she said.
“Each step will be an innovation merged with technology. We are using solar panels as well. The product is meant for a large scale,” she said.