The Technology
Multi Effect Near Zero Operating Energy desalination.
A thermal-distillation architecture that uses solar heat, sub-surface water cooling, osmotic pressure and partial vacuum in concert — delivering potable water at approximately one kilowatt-hour per cubic metre.
- Patent in process
- Validated by TIH-IIT Guwahati
- Funded by TIH-IIT Guwahati
The principle
Fourinputs.Oneprocess.Minimaldischarge.
Conventional desalination is expensive because it forces a single energy input — pressure in reverse osmosis, high heat in distillation — to do all the work. MENZOE distributes the work across four natural inputs operating in parallel: solar thermal raises feed-water temperature to ~85°C; a vacuum pump lowers internal pressure below 500 mbar enabling low-temperature distillation; sub-surface water cooling drives condensation; osmotic pressure aids the separation. The evaporator and condenser chambers are self-sealing under water, eliminating continuous vacuum-pump operation. The result is a system whose largest operating cost — energy — is reduced by an order of magnitude.
Process flow
From raw intake to potable water.
Diagram · MENZOE process flow
The numbers
Onekilowatt-hourpercubicmetre.
The largest operating cost in conventional desalination is energy. MENZOE distributes the work across four natural inputs — solar thermal, sub-surface water cooling, osmotic pressure, partial vacuum — and reduces it by an order of magnitude.
Source · Bionic Energy Systems internal cost analysis · April 2026
- 01
Reverse Osmosis
Maintenance · High
0
kWh / m³
- 02
Thermal Distillation
Maintenance · Medium–Low
0
kWh / m³
- 03
Low-Temp Thermal Desalination
Maintenance · Medium
0
kWh / m³
- 04
MENZOE
Maintenance · Low
0
kWh / m³
Demonstrator stages
How the system runs at Kirkee.
- S · 01
Water intake
Raw water drawn from the Mula river by pumping arrangement. Carries water hyacinth, algae, and small aquatic organisms — representative of the loading any real intake will face.
- S · 02
Filtration and pre-treatment
Multi-layered filtration container: gravel, granules and sand, top-down inlet with gravity-aided extraction. Plants suited for wet saline sandy soils planted at the top layer aid extraction of bio-chemical contaminants. Integrated dissolved-air flotation and UV disinfection follow.
- S · 03
Preparation of artificial seawater
For the demonstrator, sea water is simulated by mixing common salt at appropriate ratio with the pre-treated feed.
- S · 04
Core MENZOE process
Solar thermal panels at 80–85% efficiency raise water to ~85°C. A vacuum pump simultaneously lowers atmospheric pressure within the evaporator below 500 mbar, enabling low-temperature distillation. The self-sealing evaporator/condenser eliminates continuous vacuum operation. The condenser is cooled by cold natural water at depth. Membranes ensure osmotic pressure aids the separation.
Why this matters
WhatMENZOEremovesfromtheoperator'sbill.
- A·01
Zero to minimal energy consumption
- A·02
No moving parts in the core
- A·03
Fully indigenous technology
- A·04
Low operating cost
- A·05
No brine disposal
- A·06
No adverse effect on marine life or nearby communities
Frequently asked
What institutional buyers ask first.
- Where is MENZOE in commercialisation?
- Tech demonstrator installed and under trials at the Bombay Engineering Group & Centre, Kirkee. The sea-based product is the next phase, contingent on partner and capital alignment.
- What is the patent status?
- Patent application in process. Independently validated by TIH-IIT Guwahati's expert review.
- What does deployment look like?
- Modular skid-based system, scalable through parallel units. Site requirements: feed-water access (sea or saline source), solar exposure, footprint comparable to the demonstrator scaled to capacity. Detailed siting parameters covered in the technical briefing.
Briefing
Getthetechnicalbriefandaworkingsession.
The deck and operating data are released under NDA on request. Briefings are delivered in person in Pune or remotely.