Where is there a demand for this apparatus?
1) Developed nations (for-profit): remote locations such as farm land, islands, locations with no infrastructure and disaster areas.

2) Developing nations (non-profit): area in need of potable water, where it has substantial levels of precipitation and where there is access to surface and underground water.

What is the unit cost of the apparatus? What is the cost of water to the end user?
The device has a modest cost. A single unit’s production cost is estimated roughly between $200 to $250 (US), assuming 200-liter capacity and 100,000 units produced. The purified water from this device would cost approximately less than a penny per liter to the end user. Moreover, the apparatus can be installed in the location of consumption thereby drastically reducing the cost of water transportation to a minimum or even to nil. Producing high quality water, which surpasses the Canadian Drinking Water Standards, at a competitive price gives this apparatus a competitive advantage which will be the basis of success for this invention in developed nations. These profits will be used to bring potable water to those in need in developing nations.

How does AquaCeleste’s product differ from that of the competitors?
It produces low cost potable water which meets Canadian Drinking Water standards and:

-Apparatus requires no external power (i.e., electricity or otherwise)
-Low cost apparatus (please see Q4 for further detail)
-Adaptable taste—end user may adjust mineral content of water to desired tastes and nutritional needs
-Simple to manufacture
-Easy to install with basic technical knowledge
-Simple to use
-Low maintenance
-Environmentally friendly
-Portable and deployable anywhere, even to remote and isolated locations or to disaster, crisis and emergency areas for on-site water treatment
-Efficient and reliable with a low cost production
-Durable and scalable in size

What is the AquaCeleste’s history?
Dr. Fazlollah Panahi (the Inventor) is a retired professional civil engineer. Among other university degrees, he holds a Très Honorable mention for his Ph.D. in Hydrology from the reputable Sorbonne University in Paris, France. Dr. Panahi noted that the only source of fresh water on our planet is “celestial” precipitation. He further stated that such precipitation loses its purity by contacting the earth; and hence, must ideally be collected for purification before reaching the ground.

The Inventor set out to design an apparatus that doesn’t require any external source of energy since he realized that the need for any external source of power can potentially cause a huge problem in the universal practicality and global use of the apparatus. From there, the design was completed and primary prototypes were built.

Being satisfied with the practicality and functionality of the apparatus, the Inventor applied for patenting of the apparatus. The patent agency used by the Inventor (ROBIC) informed the Inventor that the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) has recognized and granted Class A grouping for all documents submitted (International PCT/CA98/00656; N/Ref.:28882-2), making all claims patentable. The Inventor, via ROBIC, entered the second phase of the PCT procedure. It involved the written opinion of the European Patent Office. On the 25th of February 1999, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) undertook the advertising of the international patent in its publication, and the International Patent Classification of “EO3B 3/02, CO2 F 1/68” was granted.

Today, AquaCeleste seeks to put to use its technology for humanitarian purposes and looks to partner with reputable entities to bring its apparatus to practical use.

Where is the demand for potable water coming from?

Sector Uses	(Percentage)
Agriculture	70
Industry	20
Household	10

Source: UN Water, 2013

 

It is estimated that 70% of world-wide water use is for irrigation. As global populations grow, so does the demand for food and hence, water.

Approximately, another 20% of global water consumption is for industrial use. Major
industrial users include power plants, which use water for cooling or as a power
source (i.e. nuclear plants), ore and oil refineries, which use water in chemical
processes, and manufacturing plants, which use water as a solvent.

About 10% of world-wide water use is for household purposes. These include drinking
water, bathing, cooking, sanitation, and gardening. Most household water is treated
and returned to surface water systems, with the exception of water used for landscapes.

How can AquaCeleste’s technology make a difference?
The experts in water matters have manifested their concerns regarding the difficulty
of accessing potable water and energy in the 21st century. Their concerns arise
due to the galloping global population growth, which in return increase the demand for water. The large capital cost, the high price of other purification devices and their energy requirement, make AquaCeleste’s technology an easy and cost effective solution to bringing clean drinking water to those in need. A lot of great water charities are always in search and on the forefront of improving their technology and operations to get the biggest impact per dollar spent.

Which regions of the world are most in need for potable water? What is being done about it?

Geographically, the following chart depicts the regions of the world with access to drinking water. These numbers have improved drastically over the last decade thanks to many water initiatives including the UN’s declaration of 2005-2015 as the “Water for Life” decade.

REGION	PERCENT OF POPULATION WITH ACCESS  TO DRINKING WATER (%), 2015 Estimate
GLOBAL	89%
SUB SAHARAN AFRICA	75%
EASTERN ASIA	86 %
SOUTHERN ASIA	85%
WESTERN ASIA	92%
OCEANIA	74%
Global Population 2015 estimate	7219 million

Source: UN 2007 cited in The World’s Water 2008-2009: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources – Peter H. Gleick

A large portion of UNICEF and other such NGO’s budgets are spent in lesser developed
countries (LDC’s) to directly or indirectly abate waterborne diseases that cause
illness and death due to a lack of potable water sources. Clean water has improved health, education and economic prosperity.

The World Bank, along with other NGO’s, have been actively seeking and urging for
a solution to assure potable water can be available to people in LDC and displaced
people in camps. Current solutions are still costly and impractical to sustain. AquaCeleste’s device may help solve some of these problems that NGO’s face presently regarding potable water accessibility and sustainability in LDC.