By NOVA Inventions

An engineer from a small Caribbean island has made a breakthrough in desalination technologies.
The unique design and original technology produce no carbon footprint or brine discharge, a combination new to desalination.
The prototype desalinator was designed and manufactured by Karlis Noel of NOVA Inventions in 2016 so that his coastal village could have an emergency water supply during times of drought.
He wanted the device to be durable, portable, reliable under rough conditions, simple enough for a village to operate, and effective at turning sea water into drinking water. Through a grant from the United Nations agency, Global Environment Facility, Small Grants Program (GEF-SGP), the Laborie Fishers and Consumers Cooperative were able to build the desalinator, which can produce 1,000 gallons of water daily.
“The majority of desalinators built today are reverse osmosis,” Noel said. “These systems remove salts and minerals from the seawater, often producing a flat tasting, or heavy water. NOVA returns minerals to the water to improve flavor after purification.”
Scientific tests on the water show that the desalinator is effective in eliminating solids, bacteria, salt, minerals, and metals.
“NOVA will be discussing further development and testing of the desalinator to improve its design and durability, increase potable water capacity to 10,000 gallons daily, and conduct exhaustive performance testing for purifying sea and brackish water,” said NOVA’s CEO, Dr. Vana Prewitt.