Aqua pirates

It is about the size of a mini-fridge and is made of expanded polystyrene foam and a porous, hydrophilic paper coated in carbon black. To construct the device, first, taking a block of polystyrene foam and cut 25 connected sections. Then layer pieces of their paper over each section, folding the ends down so that they dangle into the water. The paper wicks water upward, wetting the entire top surface of each of the sections. Finally, a clear acrylic housing sits on top. During operation, evaporated water from the carbon paper is trapped by the acrylic and funneled to a collection vessel, and the paper wicks up additional water to replace it. By floating the device on a body of water, the carbon black absorbs sunlight, to heat and evaporate the water absorbed by the paper at 44° C . That allows the still to reach a reported efficiency of 88 percent, the device could produce between 3 and 10 liters of purified water per day. Estimates the materials needed to build it cost $1.60 per square meter, compared with $200 per square .At that price, providing the minimal water needed for a family of four might cost as little as $5 for the raw material per device.