Waves to Water: Extracting Drinking Water from the Ocean for Coastal Communities and Disaster Relief

Team: Rita Chen (ME), Michael Kotur (ME), Danny Ma (ME), Ian Miller (ME)

Advisor(s): Reza Alam (ME), Michael Kelly (ME)

Coastal communities affected by natural disasters lack affordable and reliable access to drinking water. We aim to create a portable device that captures wave energy to drive seawater desalination and provide freshwater to communities without the need for external power or materials. The portable device is composed of a pumping mechanism that brings seawater to a reverse osmosis system to generate drinking water. Additionally, the device can be assembled without assistance from a professional, resulting in user independence for gathering freshwater.

Project Brief