Clean, safe drinking water is essential for life—and often taken for granted. But in some areas and situations, it’s just not available. There may be no access to ground or surface water, or the source water may be too contaminated to treat at a reasonable cost.
In other instances, natural or man-made disasters may create a need for emergency water supplies. And industrial or military programs may need a temporary and/or portable water source.
Pulling Water out of the Atmosphere
Atmospheric water generators provide an option for nearly any location. These units extract moisture (humidity) out of the air.
The air first goes through an electrostatic air filter to remove micro-particles and dust. Humid air is then passed through a condensation unit. The exact designs vary between manufacturers and are proprietary.
The condensate is typically exposed to ultraviolet light for disinfection. Then, the extracted water goes through multiple filtration processes. Filtration may include combinations of polyfiber filters, carbon filters, reverse osmosis, and microfiltration. After filtration, the water is exposed to additional disinfection using ultraviolet light and/or ozonation.
Water is collected in storage units. If the water is not used for several days, it can be recycled through the filtration and disinfection processes.
Water is then distributed from the storage units as needed, even as water bottling plants.
Some systems offer the option to provide high-volume air conditioning at the same time.
How much water can they produce?
Atmospheric water generators come in several different sizes depending on need. These generators are available for residential, commercial, industrial or military applications.
For large users, they can be installed in modular configurations, generating hundreds of thousands of gallons per day.
The amount of water produced is dependent on air temperature and humidity, with higher levels being more productive. However, some generators are capable of producing water even at temperatures of 35 degrees F and humidity levels of 35%.
Powering the Atmospheric Water Generator
Condensing water requires electricity. The atmospheric water generators can be powered with standard electrical connections or diesel generators.
Atmospheric water generators are not electrically efficient. However, most units now have the option to use solar and wind power as well.
Success Stories
Watermaker India completed a pilot project for the Village of Jalimudi, the world’s first village to have all of their water supplied by an atmospheric water generator. Prior to the project, women in the village had to spend many hours each day walking to fetch heavy pots of water from the nearest water source. This project has changed the lives of the villagers.
The military has found uses for atmospheric water generators as well. Armed forces in seven countries are testing the units at various locations. Portable units offer additional flexibility.
For emergency response, Water-Gen sent one of their units to the Philippines after the devastating Typhoon Haiyan.
Agricultural operations are investigating the use of atmospheric water generators, particularly the solar- and wind-powered versions, as a method of green farming.
Making water out of “thin air” might seem too good to be true, but appears to be a good option in specific circumstances.
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