Panasonic Corp. and Jadabpur University in eastern India will jointly develop and commercialize equipment for ground water purification for use in emerging countries, people familiar with the matter said Saturday.
Panasonic aims to sell ¥25 billion worth of the equipment a year by 2025 in India alone, they said.
The company and Jadabpur University will design the water purifier to remove toxic substances such as arsenic and heavy metals in areas where the water supply system is underdeveloped.
They will start the joint research around October.
Panasonic's technological institute has been developing a purification agent based on such materials as titanium dioxide which can work as a catalyst to detoxify arsenic and certain other substances when exposed to sunlight.
With every 200 to 300 grams of purification agent being developed for the equipment, some 3 tons of water a day can be treated.