{
    "title": "Eliodomestico Solar Desalination",
    "inventor_name": "Gabriele Diamanti",
    "publication_year": 2012,
    "device_name": "Eliodomestico Solar Still",
    "goal": "Provide an affordable, low-maintenance method to produce drinking water from saline sources using only sunlight.",
    "problem_addressed": "Water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions, especially rural India, where access to fresh water is limited.",
    "concept_summary": "A passive solar still consisting of two stacked ceramic components. Sunlight heats a black container holding saline water, generating steam that is forced by pressure into a lower ceramic chamber where it condenses and is collected as freshwater. The system yields roughly five litres of water per day and costs under fifty dollars to build.",
    "detailed_description": null,
    "principles": [
        "Solar thermal heating",
        "Evaporation of saline water",
        "Gravity-driven steam flow",
        "Condensation of steam into freshwater"
    ],
    "scientific_domains": [
        "Thermal Engineering",
        "Environmental Engineering",
        "Materials Science"
    ],
    "mechanisms_of_action": [
        "Sunlight heats a black container, raising water temperature until it vaporises.",
        "Steam pressure pushes the vapor down a tube into a cooler lower ceramic chamber.",
        "Steam condenses on the interior surfaces of the lower chamber and drips into a collection basin."
    ],
    "materials": [
        "Ceramic (two stacked pieces)",
        "Black-painted container (metal or ceramic)",
        "Glass or clear tube for steam transfer",
        "Plastic or rubber tubing (optional for water collection)"
    ],
    "energy_sources": [
        "Solar radiation"
    ],
    "inputs": [
        "Saline or brackish water",
        "Direct sunlight"
    ],
    "outputs": [
        "Freshwater (condensed)",
        "Steam (intermediate)"
    ],
    "claimed_performance": "Produces about five litres of drinking water per day, roughly two litres more than a conventional solar still of comparable size.",
    "experimental_evidence": "Field demonstrations reported a daily output of ~5 L of freshwater under direct sunlight conditions.",
    "replication_status": null,
    "keywords": [
        "Solar desalination",
        "Water scarcity",
        "Ceramic still",
        "Low-cost water purifier",
        "Open-source design"
    ],
    "related_technologies": [
        "Passive solar stills",
        "Solar thermal desalination",
        "Off-grid water purification"
    ],
    "controversy_level": "low",
    "confidence_score": 0.9,
    "practicability_score": 0.85,
    "fringe_score": 0.1,
    "evidence_strength": 0.5,
    "risk_score": 0.1,
    "trl_estimate": 6,
    "source_urls": [
        "http://thelogicalindian.com/environment/this-device-turns-saltwater-into-drinking-water-just-using-the-direct-sunlight-know-about-it/",
        "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfdPRm-wBxs",
        "http://www.gabrielediamanti.com/projects/eliodomestico"
    ],
    "organizations": [
        "Prix Emile Hermes competition (finalist)",
        "Well-Tech Award (special mention, 2012)",
        "Core 77 Design Awards (pro winner, social impact, 2012)"
    ],
    "applications": [
        "Rural drinking-water supply",
        "Emergency or disaster relief water purification",
        "Off-grid desalination for small households"
    ],
    "limitations": [
        "Limited daily output (~5 L)",
        "Performance depends on sunlight intensity and weather",
        "Requires fabrication of ceramic components",
        "No data on long-term durability or scaling"
    ],
    "open_questions": [
        "How does the system perform over months of continuous use?",
        "Can the design be scaled to larger community-level output?",
        "What is the efficiency in high-humidity or low-sunlight conditions?",
        "Are there cost variations for ceramic production in different regions?"
    ],
    "red_flags": [
        "No peer-reviewed experimental data published; performance claims are based on anecdotal demonstrations."
    ],
    "evidence_quotes": [
        "The remarkable utility of this device is defined by its capacity to collect and purify about five litres of water per day.",
        "The device is half the price of a normal solar still and provides two litres of more freshwater than the normal still.",
        "No fuel, no electricity, and no maintenance make it ideal for usage by people from all walks of life."
    ],
    "category": "Water Harvesting & Atmospheric Water"
}