Air-conditioning condensate recovery and applications-Current developments and challenges ahead

The quest for water sustainability, energy conservation and environment-friendly technologies has necessitated development of alternate water and energy resources that are clean, energy-efficient and cost-effective. The condensate from heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems has been identified as potential source of clean water, which is typically removed and disposed of in a sanitary drain. The condensate can be beneficially used for water sustainability and building energy recovery. The focus of this article is a state of the art review of HVAC condensate recovery, the progress in research and development of condensate recovery systems (CRSs), quality concerns and potential applications. Specific attention is given to review all the existing CRSs around the globe, theoretical and experimental studies on condensate recovery, mathematical models proposed and evaluation of quality characteristics. The issues and challenges involved and suggestions for future work are highlighted. The review reveals that, given the importance of water conservation and clean and sustainable energy resources, the domain of HVAC condensate recovery and utilization has significant scope for research and development in order to realize practical CRSs that can contribute for water sustainability and energy management in buildings.