About the Challenge — XPRIZE Water Scarcity
The world is facing a growing water crisis. Billions of people live in regions where access to clean water is unstable, unreliable, or entirely absent. Desalination has the potential to be a major solution, but current technologies remain expensive, energy-intensive, complex to operate, and unsuitable for low-resource environments.
The XPRIZE Water Scarcity Challenge was launched to overcome these limitations and accelerate the development of disruptive systems capable of producing 1,000 m³/day of potable water, affordably and sustainably, with rapid deployment potential.
The Five Core Problems in Desalination
- Unaffordable to low- and middle-income communities
Current systems are financially out of reach for the people who need them most. - Incremental innovation
Major breakthroughs have stalled since the introduction of reverse osmosis. - Inefficient energy-water nexus
Dominant technologies consume large amounts of energy and produce excess brine. - Operational complexity and vulnerability
Centralized plants are expensive, fragile, and difficult to maintain locally. - Unsustainable life cycle
High carbon footprints, marine pollution, chemical effluents, and non-recyclable membranes.
Why Q-Vortex*Answers the Call
The Q-Vortex* system offers a paradigm shift:
- A membrane-free, hydrodynamic vortex-based technology,
- Fully modular and scalable, adaptable to villages, cities, camps, farms, or industry,
- Low-cost deployment starting with the prototype, and declining over time through standardized manufacturing,
- Solar hybrid energy, compact footprint, and community-based governance through GOOD Labels.
Designed to serve up to 20,000 people per system, Q-Vortex combines efficiency, durability, and equity — directly aligned with the mission and criteria of the XPRIZE.
Note: Technical schematics, validation data, and detailed engineering models are reserved for internal documentation and formal submission.