Abstract
In many developing countries with high temperatures and humidity are suffering from a shortage of safe drinking water. In such countries, dehumidifiers are often used to prevent the growth of rust and mold. The water generated from the dehumidifier (DHW) is often discarded because most people feel that this water is dirty. We continuously investigated the water quality and quantity in Okinawa, which is a hot and humid area, for ～1.5 years. As a result, we found that the water from a dehumidifier (average 11.730 mg L-1, Main component: TOC 6.985 mg L-1, NH4+ 3.760 mg L-1) contained less impurities than tap water (119.821 mg L-1, Main component: Cl- 34.315 mg L-1, Ca2+ 28.636 mg L-1, Na+ 25.658 mg L-1, SO42- 23.293 mg L-1) throughout the whole year. A compressor-type dehumidifier can generate water of about 62% of rated dehumidification capacity on average annually (6.22 L d-1) in a closed room, which is superior to a zeolite-type dehumidifier (3.16 L day-1, about 39% of rating on average annually) . These results show that water generated by dehumidifiers can be used for many purposes such as drinking water with a proper water purification treatment.
