ICETECH – Thinking Cold, Moving Forward
A while ago, we published articles that covered projects that aimed at covering certain necessities like electric energy and reliable internet connections to relatively neglected parts of the world, since the technological advancements on the last years have increased the importance of those services for society to progress.
But these pale in degree of necessity when we consider how 35% of the world still does not have access to clean water. Given how vital this resource is, it should come as a terrible surprise that, in 2020, the percentage of people that lack a regular source of clean, consumable water is still alarmingly high despite efforts from organizations like UNICEF and the WHO to increase the reach of water sources to vulnerable populations and regions.
It is this dire situation and grim panorama that motivated a team of entrepreneurs to take a step forward and create ICETECH, a Russia-based company that is proposing a way to deliver useable fresh water to zones with difficult or no access to it, in the form of what they call “artificial icebergs” that can be transported by sea.
Building Blocks
By taking advantage of the extreme weathers in the far eastern coast of the Russian Federation, the company aims to build a technological complex that is able to produce fresh-water artificial icebergs, for them to be naturally thawed in the climate of the target areas without additional treatments or components.
The quality of the water is ensured by a number of factors related to its origin: the mouth of the Gizhiga river in the Magadan region. Being isolated from any industrial pollution sources and large settlements while also being mainly fed by melting snow, the water already meets drinking standards in a natural way, with a salinity level similar or even lower than rainwater, and with a supply that is over 60 times greater than the projected maximum demand, which prevents scarcity in the future.
Carrying the Weight
The transportation of these blocks is simple: they are to be towed along the Eastern Asian coast to their destinies by heavy-duty boats that could move volumes from 1.5 million to 80 million cubic meters at a speed of around 15 km/h. This can be translated into trips from the production base to China in only 30 days, and to further areas like the Arabian Peninsula in 70 days.
This shipping protocol is aided by the hydrodynamic shape of the icebergs, while the safe delivery of the product is ensured by not letting just solid blocks of ice form naturally. The most innovative part of their project comes from the skeleton they implement, on top of which they freeze the blocks. This polymer-based wireframe not only reduces the melting volume of the iceberg while keeping the water completely safe from residues, is entirely recyclable and can even be used to create containers in the destination.
The last step of the road comes in the shape of the production complexes in receiving ports. Not only will these stations be suited for fast operational disassembly of the blocks into smaller parts, but they will also take care of the destruction and reuse of the membrane and accumulate commercial water in tanks for alternative supply and could also be a source of jobs since human resources are required for the cutting process.
According to their timeline, they are currently working on improvements for their engineering solutions and the construction of the first facilities could begin in August 2020, if the conditions are suitable. At this stage, it is still early enough to consider investing in an innovative project of this magnitude, especially one that has already built a reputation by participating in technology expos and earning awards from charity-oriented organizations.
