Device turns stagnant water in Egyptian salt lakes into rain for agriculture

The water produced from the device has a freshwater purity of 95 per cent, and so is able to increase production of crops such as rice and wheat

Spotted: An Egyptian researcher has developed a device that turns stagnant water in salt lakes and shallow water bodies into vapour, which is then cooled down to make it rain.

The device was prepared by Reda Mohamed Ali, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at the Coastal Research Institute, who obtained a patent from the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT).

The device has an evaporator in the lower part which runs on solar radiation. To turn vapour into rain, a condenser creates a temperature difference which is collected in large rectangular containers.

“The idea came from a question of how we can benefit from the stagnant water and the waters of shallow lakes that evaporate at the end and turn the lakes into salt ponds, like the lakes of northern Egypt,” says Ali.

Water obtained through this process, even from salt lakes and shallow beaches, contains only 5 per cent salt. Thus, it is currently being used for growing medicinal plants, with further plans to use it in the increasing of rice and wheat production.

The simplicity of the device makes it suitable for individual use, in addition to large-scale projects. The researcher seeks to make this device a national project in remote areas and threatened lakes.

The next point of focus is to work around dust storms and adverse climatic conditions, which may still pose a threat to the gadget.

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