Waterlight generates electricity and light from seawater
The startup E-Dina from Colombia has succeeded in developing a device, the Waterlight, that lasts 45 days with a load of seawater. What is the secret of this eco gadget?
Waterlight, light in remote areas
Here in our well-kept country you don’t have to look far to find a socket nearby, but unfortunately that is different in larger parts of the world. This is especially true for people who live in remote areas in poorer countries, such as the interior of Colombia. You can’t do much without light and the traditional alternatives, such as oil lamps, are unhealthy, require expensive fuel and give little light.
To help those people, the startup E-Dina devised the Waterlight, an eco-friendly lamp that you can fill with seawater and let it burn. As an added bonus, you can also charge a mobile phone with the device. It costs E-Dima between 60 and 100 euros to make a Waterlight.
How does the Waterlight work?
The Waterlight is in fact an aluminum battery (some sources say: magnesium). The Waterlight contains a sheet of solid aluminum and copper. Aluminum is a very base metal that reacts with oxygen to form aluminum oxide.
This is a redox reaction. That is, the reaction consists of two half reactions and electron transfer takes place. So an electric current. You can use this for various applications, such as the built-in lamp, but also to charge smartphones via the USB output. The Waterlight lamp lasts about 5600 burning hours, but can then be made working again quite easily by replacing the used magnesium with a fresh charge.
The lamp holds about 500 ml of sea water or other salt water. You can also use urine in an emergency. You will then enjoy it for about a month and a half until this water needs to be changed.
Availability difficult
At the moment, the startup mainly focuses on large customers. Read: NGOs and other aid organizations, which can buy these handy Waterlight lamps en masse and distribute them to communities in remote areas. The good news is that you can also put together a Waterlight lamp yourself. Salt water lamps can also be found on Ebay for a few tens.
