Erica Wallace Gonzaga (B.S. in Biological Engineering, 2011) is seeking to tackle a major humanitarian problem: the lack of access to clean drinking water. Every day nearly 2,000 children die from waterborne illnesses due to lack of clean water and proper sanitation1. One in nine people lack access to a clean water source2, mostly in developing countries. Erica founded aqUV in 2014 with two other Gator Engineers, Daniel Blood (Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, 2014) and Rob Damitz (Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, 2015) to address this global issue. Their mission is to provide clean drinking water across the globe with simple and sustainable solutions.
The trio first conceived their solution for clean water in a University of Florida classroom. The aqUV water purification system uses ultraviolet light treatment to kill over 99.99% of bacteria and over 99.9% of viruses in 3 to 5 minutes. aqUV purifiers can be powered entirely by sunlight/solar energy eliminating the need for grid power or replacement batteries. The purifiers are also reusable eliminating the need for expensive replacement parts or filters.
aqUV is now launching a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to make their invention a reality. Their campaign launched September 14 and runs until October 28. Kickstarter is a popular crowdfunding platform where the internet community can pledge financial support to projects in exchange for “rewards” – incentives to be delivered upon meeting the project funding goals. aqUV is seeking to raise $50,000 to purchase equipment to manufacture aqUV purifiers. They are offering rewards ranging from the first production run of aqUV purifiers to stickers and t-‐shirts. Project backers can also choose to directly donate a purifier to someone in need.
aqUV has pledged to donate one purifier to someone in need for every three purifiers ordered on Kickstarter. The first purifiers will be donated to aqUV’s partner organizations in Haiti. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, and over 4 million Haitians lack clean drinking water.
Accessing clean water is a challenge in many regions around the world. aqUV is striving to provide thousands in need around the globe with a reliable and sustainable water purification method. Those interested in supporting the project or finding more information can visit the Kickstarter page or aqUV’s website www.aqUV.org.
