Washit conserves water by recycling shower water for use by a clothes washer.
At first it might sound like a bit of a joke but the Turkish students who came up with this idea are completely serious. “iWashit” is a combination of a shower and a washing machine. The water used for showering is captured, cleaned by filters and collected. The water treated in this way can be used immediately for a load of washing or once again for a shower. The idea recently won a € 1,500 prize in the Hansgrohe Prize 2012: Efficient Water Design competition.
The idea is the brainchild of Ahmet Burak Aktas, Salih Berk Ilhan, Adem Onalan, and Burak Soylemez, all from Middle East Technical University in Turkey. The device uses a closed system comprised of two water pumps, three filters (carbon, organic and chemical), a UV cleaning phase, a heater and a water storage unit. While you shower, Washit gathers gray water from the bottom of the shower, passes it through the filters and UV unit, then on to the storage unit. This stored water can then be used for further showering or washing clothes.
Interesting idea, but not built yet. The students are now in the process of prototyping their Washit device.
