Lessons Learnt from the Project Water from gypsum

d.o.b foundation will not participate in the next phase of the project Water from Gypsum. At the end of 2003, we started with phase 1 of the project. In 2004 it was found to be technically possible and feasible to extract water from gypsum. Phase 2 of the project involved testing whether or not it was possible to develop a household version. Different tests were conducted towards this end in an area with conditions that were comparable to the conditions found in desert regions.

Evaluation

From tests conducted in the laboratory and 'in the field' on Cyprus, it has proven possible to extract water from gypsum using solar rays. But the design tested, which employed a bag from synthetic material with a transparent and a black part, was insufficient. Without further assistance, the temperature could not be raised high enough to bring about practical dehydration. Collecting the moisture produced was also problematic and considerable gypsum was needed to extract any significant amount of water. This makes the method impractical for small-scale use in rural areas - though it was these families in particular that were our target group. The WADI Foundation will study another design in a subsequent project. The study will also look into the possibilities for rehydration, which would reduce the amount of gypsum needed.

The production of water from gypsum does take place quickly enough when the bag is placed in a solar cooker, but the added value of the bag is not great, apart from the fact that it can be filled with new material. It is possible to collect the water that is produced using a special design that keeps the empty space in the system as small as possible, while sufficient cooling is provided simultaneously.

Three lessons learnt by d.o.b foundation in this project

A multidisciplinary team and board
In retrospect we and the project partner should have made a clearer distinction between the board and project manager/implementation. These responsibilities were placed in the same hands in this instance. To ensure the success of a large initiative and to make a product applicable, it is unwise to organize things in this manner even though it involves people who are accomplished in their respective professions.
In our opinion it is necessary to bring together people, for the board as well as the project team, with different abilities from a range of disciplines. That way they can keep each other on their toes and complement one another where necessary. A combination of scientists, businesspeople and an anthropologist would have been better for this project.

We learnt this lesson from broad range of projects and it has therefore become the policy of d.o.b foundation with respect to the teams that lead a project.

Study applicability on time
We did not have the practical applicability of this invention sufficiently studied on the scale we had in mind (family use).

Open communication
We have once again seen that to ensure a good, effective and pleasant collaboration, everything should always be out in the open, even when this is difficult or appears to be so. This prevents dependency and problems from occurring and the limits of the parties involved are not put to the test.

These are the lessons [dob] has learnt from this project. It does not necessarily mean that the researchers/project team agree on all aspects.