A Study on Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of Water Obtained from the Air-conditioning Systems

As the city of Kashan is located in an arid area in Iran and is facing a severe water crisis, condensate water recovered from air conditioners could be considered a potential water source. The study aimed to evaluate this water source in terms of its quantity and physical and chemical characteristics. A total of 72 condensate water samples were collected from air-conditioners during three months in summer 2021. The samples were tested for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity, total hardness (TH), total dissolved solids (TDS), alkalinity, nitrate, chloride, CO2, Pb, Zn, Cd, and As. It was found that each device produced on average of 0.83 liters of water an hour. The physical and chemical characteristics of the water meet the WHO and Iranian standards for drinking water except for heavy metals concentration. Finally, it is concluded that the water quality is appropriate for a variety of non-drinking purposes and, due to the significant volume, the decision to utilize such a large volume of water is economically sensible. However, due to the presence of heavy metals in the recovered water, human and environmental health criteria must be taken into consideration.