{
    "title": "Auto Exhaust Water Recovery System",
    "inventor_name": "Marit JAGTOYEN",
    "publication_year": 1998,
    "device_name": "On-Board Water Recovery Unit",
    "goal": "Produce potable water from the exhaust gases of military land vehicles and other internal-combustion engines.",
    "problem_addressed": "Lack of reliable water supply for troops operating in desert or water-scarce environments and dependence on external logistics.",
    "concept_summary": "A vehicle-mounted system that condenses water vapor from engine exhaust using a heat-exchanger/chiller, then purifies the condensate through a multi-stage filter train (glass-fiber, activated carbon, carbon-fiber, zeolites, ion-exchange resins) to meet EPA drinking-water standards.",
    "detailed_description": null,
    "category": "Water Harvesting & Atmospheric Water",
    "principles": [
        "Condensation of exhaust vapor by cooling below dew point",
        "Counter-current heat exchange",
        "Refrigerant-based sub-cooling (air-conditioning loop)",
        "Particulate filtration",
        "Adsorption on activated carbon and carbon-fiber composites",
        "Ion-exchange resin removal of ionic contaminants"
    ],
    "scientific_domains": [
        "Mechanical Engineering",
        "Chemical Engineering",
        "Materials Science",
        "Environmental Engineering"
    ],
    "mechanisms_of_action": [
        "Heat removal from exhaust gases to induce water condensation",
        "Physical sieving of solids and aerosols",
        "Chemical adsorption of organic compounds",
        "Ion-exchange for metal ions and acidic species"
    ],
    "materials": [
        "Aluminum (heresite-coated)",
        "Stainless steel",
        "Inconel",
        "Ceramics",
        "Graphite",
        "Glass-fiber filter",
        "Activated carbon (wood-based, coal-based)",
        "Carbon-fiber composite",
        "Zeolites",
        "Ion-exchange resin (mixed acidic/basic beds)"
    ],
    "energy_sources": [
        "Engine exhaust heat",
        "Vehicle air-conditioning refrigerant loop"
    ],
    "inputs": [
        "Exhaust gases (water vapor, contaminants)",
        "Engine fuel (diesel, gasoline, etc.)",
        "Electrical power for pumps and control valves"
    ],
    "outputs": [
        "Potable water (~=0.5-0.7 gal / gal fuel, ~15 gal / day)",
        "Reduced TOC (<0.5 ppm)",
        "pH 6-8"
    ],
    "claimed_performance": "Produces up to 0.7 gal of potable water per gallon of fuel, ~15 gal per day on a HMMWV diesel engine; TOC <0.5 ppm, metal content below EPA limits.",
    "experimental_evidence": "Prototype tests reported TOC <0.5 ppm (detectable limit 0.5 mg/L), water meets EPA drinking-water standards; production rate of ~0.5 gal / gal fuel demonstrated on a 6.5 L diesel engine.",
    "replication_status": "Prototype tested; no independent replication reported.",
    "keywords": [
        "exhaust water recovery",
        "condensation",
        "heat exchanger",
        "activated carbon",
        "ion exchange",
        "military water supply",
        "desert operations"
    ],
    "related_technologies": [
        "Automotive air-conditioning systems",
        "Counter-current heat exchangers",
        "Portable water purification units"
    ],
    "controversy_level": "low",
    "confidence_score": 0.95,
    "practicability_score": 0.7,
    "fringe_score": 0.2,
    "evidence_strength": 0.7,
    "risk_score": 0.1,
    "trl_estimate": 6,
    "source_urls": [
        "http://lexcarb.com",
        "https://patents.google.com/patent/US6581375"
    ],
    "organizations": [
        "Lexington Carbon Company LLC",
        "MesoSystems, Inc."
    ],
    "applications": [
        "Military field operations",
        "Disaster-relief water provision",
        "Recreational vehicles in arid regions"
    ],
    "limitations": [
        "Performance depends on exhaust temperature and catalytic-converter operation",
        "Remaining trace unidentified compounds in water",
        "Heat-exchanger material corrosion risk in acidic condensate"
    ],
    "open_questions": [
        "Long-term durability of heat-exchanger materials under acidic conditions",
        "Effect on vehicle fuel efficiency and engine performance over extended use",
        "Scalability to larger vehicle fleets or civilian applications"
    ],
    "red_flags": [],
    "evidence_quotes": [
        "The water meets drinking water standards with a TOC of < 2 ppm and in most cases is less than 0.5 ppm, and a metal's content below EPA regulated limits.",
        "Potable water can be produced at a rate of approximately up to 0.7 gallons/gallon fuel utilizing a HMMWV diesel engine.",
        "The filtered water samples have a TOC content below detectable limits (BDL) which is 0.5 mg/L for current EPA drinking water regulations and as low as 0.1 mg/L in some instances.",
        "The heat exchangers used in the present invention can be manufactured from aluminum coated with Heresite, stainless steel (SS), inconel, ceramics, or graphite, preferably stainless steel, inconel or ceramic."
    ]
}