AUTARCON

AUTARCON is a German water-technology company based in Kassel that develops and supplies decentralized drinking-water treatment and disinfection systems. Its core offering is the SuMeWa|SYSTEM product family — the name stands for "SunMeetsWater" — which uses solar power and electrolytic anodic oxidation to produce a residual disinfectant directly from the natural mineral content of the raw water, so that no external chemicals are required. The systems are designed for regions without sufficient centralized water infrastructure, and are marketed as energy-autarkic, low-maintenance and remotely monitored. The company's product line includes the SuMeWa|SYSTEM for decentralized drinking-water disinfection, SuMeWa|IRON for iron and manganese removal, SuMeWa|COMPLETE and SuMeWa|ONSITE configurations, and prepaid water taps that allow water to be dispensed through a water-ATM model. AUTARCON combines these disinfection and filtration modules with fully automated, maintenance-free filtration so that it can respond to local conditions such as iron, manganese or turbidity, without requiring filter-media exchange. AUTARCON positions itself around sustainability — social, ecological and economic — and around supplying clean and safe drinking water in regions lacking sufficient infrastructure. The company states that it supports customers beyond the sale of equipment, assisting with installation, training users in operation and maintenance, and remotely monitoring system performance after implementation. Its quality is presented as "Made in Germany." AUTARCON's project and market footprint spans multiple continents. The company lists activities and references in Egypt, Kenya, India, Tanzania, Nepal, Laos, The Gambia, Pakistan and Brazil, as well as a wastewater-reuse pilot in Spain. Notable referenced projects include 19 stations in continuous operation in Egypt with RISE, a SuMeWa|SYSTEM at Taita Taveta University in Voi, Kenya, one year of operation in Haridwar, India, combining SuMeWa|SYSTEM with riverbank filtration, and a SuMeWa|ONSITE installation in Tanzania disinfecting up to 50,000 liters per day with water distributed via a water ATM. AUTARCON also participates in research and development projects such as AquaNES, INCOVER and UFCl2, and has organized international solar conferences in Cairo. The company's origins trace to 2003, when requirements for a decentralized, energy-autarkic drinking-water system were outlined at the chair of Efficient Energy Conversion at Kassel University. After roughly six years of development, the technology named "SuMeWa" was successfully tested and implemented in 2009, including in Brazil. AUTARCON is a private company; no parent company, ownership structure or stock listing is indicated in the available evidence.

AUTARCON's technology has its roots in academic research. In 2003, the requirements for a decentralized, energy-autarkic drinking-water system were outlined at the chair of Efficient Energy Conversion at Kassel University. Social, economic and legislative aspects were considered to ensure broad applicability. Over roughly six years of development, nearly all potential conditions that such a system would have to cope with were tested, and components that failed were redesigned or removed. The final version of the technology, named "SuMeWa" (SunMeetsWater), was successfully tested and implemented in 2009, including in Brazil, where it was still running at the time of the company's own account. From this foundation AUTARCON grew into a company based in Kassel, Germany, commercializing the SuMeWa|SYSTEM product family for decentralized drinking-water disinfection. The system produces the required residual disinfectant electrolytically from the natural mineral content of the water, keeping water safe for consumption without chemicals. Combined with fully automated, maintenance-free filtration modules, it can address local conditions such as iron, manganese or turbidity, and does not require filter-media exchange. Over the following years AUTARCON expanded its project footprint internationally. The company reports activities and references in Egypt, Kenya, India, Tanzania, Nepal, Laos, The Gambia, Pakistan and Brazil, as well as a wastewater-reuse pilot in Spain. Among the referenced projects are 19 stations in continuous operation in Egypt in cooperation with RISE; a SuMeWa|SYSTEM at Taita Taveta University in Voi, Kenya; a combination of SuMeWa|SYSTEM with riverbank filtration (RBF) for village water supply in Uttarakhand, India, under the AquaNES project; one year of successful operation disinfecting riverbank filtrate in Haridwar, India, in collaboration with HTWD and the Indian municipal water supply agency; and a SuMeWa|ONSITE installation in Tanzania disinfecting up to 50,000 liters per day, with safe water distributed via a water ATM and non-revenue water reduced to below 2%. AUTARCON has also engaged in research and development through projects such as AquaNES, INCOVER and UFCl2, and has organized international conferences on solar energy solutions for electricity and water supply in rural areas, including a 2nd and 3rd conference in Cairo (the 3rd held November 7–10, 2018). The company presents its quality as "Made in Germany" and frames its mission around sustainability on social, ecological and economic issues, aiming to supply people with clean and safe drinking water in regions without sufficient infrastructure. It supports customers beyond equipment sales with installation support, user training and remote monitoring. AUTARCON is a private company; the available evidence does not indicate a parent company, ownership group or stock listing.

• 2018

  3rd International Solar Conference in Cairo held November 7–10, 2018.

• 2009

  Final version of the "SuMeWa" technology successfully tested and implemented, including in Brazil.

• 2003

  Requirements for a decentralized, energy-autarkic drinking-water system outlined at the chair of Efficient Energy Conversion at Kassel University.

Decentralized, solar-powered, chemical-free drinking-water treatment for regions without sufficient infrastructure; sustainability-oriented and "Made in Germany" quality.

• SuMeWa|SYSTEM

  Decentralized drinking-water disinfection system producing residual disinfectant electrolytically from natural minerals in the water; solar-powered and chemical-free.

• SuMeWa|IRON

  Product for iron removal in decentralized water treatment.

• SuMeWa|COMPLETE

  Complete configuration of the SuMeWa system family.

• SuMeWa|ONSITE

  On-site disinfection configuration; referenced disinfecting up to 50,000 L/d in Tanzania.

• Prepaid Water Taps

  Water dispensing taps enabling a water-ATM model for safe water distribution.

1. 1AUTARCON: Mainpageautarcon.com
2. 2AUTARCON: SuMeWa|SYSTEMautarcon.com
3. 3AUTARCON: Philosophyautarcon.com
4. 4Autarcon (Germany) - Wikidatawikidata.org