A Plant-based ​Water Filter ​That Works as a ​Mini Amazon ​

Royal College of Art graduate Pratik Ghosh has designed a home filtration system that's powered by herbs and purifies waste water from the kitchen.

Drop by Drop houses plants under a glass dome. Pipes allow water to be added in to be purified, and later collected. The system is designed for grey water – which comes from washing machines, sinks and baths.

A light within the dome triggers the plants to photosynthesise and transpire, so water is drawn through the roots and onto the leaves, where it enters the air as vapour.

A pump controls the system's airflow and creates a vacuum to further expedite transpiration.

The moisture is then drawn out of the dome, and condensed to form purified distilled water – which can have salt added to make it suitable for drinking. Drop by Drop also releases oxygen into the room.

"The proof of concept is indeed a mini version of the Amazon," said Ghosh, a student of the Royal College of Art's (RCA) masters programme in Innovation Design Engineering.

"It is a biosphere wherein the five key factors necessary for efficient transpiration, namely warmth, wind, light, pressure and humidity, are maintained at an optimum level."

If the owner's away from home, the pipes can be stoppered to create a self-sustaining atmosphere, as the soil is filled with microbes and insects that provide carbon dioxide for the plants.

A watering can that sits alongside the dome is on hand to encourage users to pour in dirty water.

"The idea is to change the way we procure and consume water at a larger level," Ghosh told Dezeen. "In order to do that, there needs to be a change in the value system and what better place to start than the home?"

"One can pour dirty water collected from the kitchen or even the bathroom into the system and the plants help you filter it."

Read more: Dezeen

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Taxonomy

• Irrigation
• Grey Water
• Water Supply
• Consumption
• Irrigation Scheduling
• Agriculture