Eco Factor: Spongy devices detect leaks in water pipes and fix them.
The World Bank estimates that on an average about 88 billion liters of water is lost through urban pipes each day due to hairline cracks in water pipes, in both rich countries and the developing ones where every drop counts. Israel-based Curapipe is looking for an answer in “little pigs,” spongy devices that can detect leaks and fix them.
The device gets on to work when water maintenance teams suspend the water supply for a couple of hours. The pigs are then pushed through the system and are propelled by water pressure. As the pigs are propelled, they remove scale and other types of unwanted buildup.
A set of two devices with a sealant material held between them. On finding cracks and leaks, a composite material is squirted out to fill it in. The material then hardens in place. Once the pipe has been flushed with water to clean it, it returns to normal usage. The company believes that these pigs can be used in pipes made of lead, cast iron and even concrete.
Curapipe estimates that using these pigs it can help the world save up to 30% of the water lost to leaks. The company is looking for a $2 million investment to take the pigs to the market.
Via: Israel21C
