Solar Capital

Our project aims to purify water quickly and charge electronics in a sustainable, portable, and simple fashion. 

Our project aims to purify water quickly and charge electronics in a sustainable, portable, and simple fashion. We created a small-scale solar-powered device within the means of a convenient water bottle cap. UVC light can kill waterborne pathogens by forming thymine dimers in their DNA. The cap features a UVC LED that shines through the water and kills pathogens within minutes. It was tested on water from Wakulla Springs: the microbes exponentially decreased over 4 minutes of UVC exposure and over 99% of microbes were killed by minute 4. The UVC LED is powered by a solar module and rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, making it especially helpful in times of limited or no electricity. It activates at the push of a button and deactivates automatically using an Arduino circuit.

The external cable from the cap can plug into and charge electronic devices. In order to accommodate more people in more circumstances, the cap can pair with aluminum cans—turning ubiquitous trash into water sanitation containers. Supplementing the UVC LED, a conical filter was designed to clear the water of large particles and heavy metals in preparation for disinfection.

Over a billion people around the world lack access to safe drinking water. Tap water and electricity are compromised after natural disasters. Millions of plastic bottles litter the oceans.

Especially useful for hikers, campers, travelers, military units, natural disaster emergency kits, and individuals in rural areas or developing nations, this project is applicable to anyone in the world.

We have talked with people who would potentially use our project and volunteered with organizations who work with our target audience. The CLEO Institute mentioned they were interested in including it in their natural disaster kits. There are other organizations, like 4LifeSolutions and Pure Home Water, that also work on tackling water purification for underserved communities that we can get in touch with for our project. We plan on conducting a pilot test with ten bottles and receiving feedback to further improve the design.

For about a year, we have been working on the development of a solar-powered water purification device within the means of a simple and convenient water bottle cap. The project is currently at the proof of concept stage, with one fully functioning prototype completed. We would like the guidance of MIT experts in electrical engineering, cost-effective manufacturing, product design, and community distribution in our next steps of continuing to iterate on the design, as well as advice as we plan and execute our business and distribution strategy. We could start with a pilot test and utilize feedback to improve the product.

The core technology behind our solution is a small solar module that charges a lithium-ion battery that’s used to power a UVC LED to purify water or any other electronic device like a phone (for emergency situations).

We hope to distribute at least one hundred solar water purifiers in underserved communities that commonly suffer from waterborne pathogens.

We anticipate this project will help reduce deaths and illnesses caused by waterborne pathogens. Anyone can benefit from it because everyone needs clean water.

The current prototype model is fairly costly (≈$50) because of some parts we used. We would need to create a more cost efficient circuit system instead of including a ready-made circuit board. Additionally, we need to find a way to incorporate a water filter inside to remove large particles in preparation for disinfection.

Sabrina Hu and Shua Cho are both interested in engineering and product design. Sabrina first formulated the project idea when she was in high school and met Shua through the MIT Discover Product Design Freshman Pre-Orientation Program. Shua has experience in CAD and water quality and will work together with Sabrina to create a durable, ready-to-use product.