The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has announced the successful development of an upgraded version of Shuddham, a water purifier-cum-cooler designed to provide affordable and innovative solutions to rural households and urban middle-class society. The product has been developed by the Imagineering Laboratory, IIT Kanpur.
Shuddham is user-friendly, easy to maintain, and economical, and would cost around INR 4000, once launched. The purifier undergoes multi-stage purification, and cooling of the water takes place simultaneously. The upper part of the system is a storage tank for the impure water, while the lower tank is a reserve tank for the purified water. There are three stages of purification: the water passes through a cotton filter in the first stage for the removal of solid impurities, followed by the removal of bad odours and chlorine through a cartridge with activated carbon.
In the next stage, a polymer membrane is used for ion exchange. The purified water is then stored in a lower reserve tank with copper fins that diffuse copper and add medicinal properties to the water. Both tanks are encased in a clay pot that offers natural cooling, further reducing the temperature with the help of a convection fan. Additionally, the system is designed to run on a mini solar plate of 10 watts for areas with limited access to electricity.
Led by Prof. J. Ramkumar, who is also the coordinator for Imagineering Laboratory and Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG), and Dr. Amandeep Singh, the Research Establishment Officer (REO), the team was approached by Jitendra Singh Chaudhary from New Unnat India Techno Solution & Innovations Pvt. Ltd. to address the challenge of providing water purification and cooling at affordable rates to the public.
Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director IIT Kanpur said, “The Imagineering Lab at IIT Kanpur is committed to work on bringing affordable and efficient technologies to the fore. The development of an upgraded water purifier and cooler, Shuddham is a great addition to the growing repository of low-cost innovations by the institute. I congratulate the team and hope that this reaches to the masses for better utility and for solving the issue of clean water.”
The Imagineering Laboratory is a central facility for concept design and product realization at IIT Kanpur. Under the laboratory, there are different labs and centres, including Central Workshop, 4-i Lab, MedTech Lab, Tinkering Lab, and RuTAG, all supporting various innovations in line with the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government of India.
