Israeli tech company making water from thin air signs agreement in UAE
According to the company's website, its solutions are “perfect for villages, off-grid settlements and factories.”
By ZACHARY KEYSERIllustration: Pulling water-from-air(photo credit: WATERGEN)
UAE-based agribusiness firm Al Dahra has signed a partnership agreement with the Israeli Watergen company, the two announced on Sunday – part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed when a delegation of Al Dahra executives visited Israel in October.Within the agreement, Watergen will be tasked with supplying the UAE and other countries in the region with its patented water solutions that generate water out of thin air – serving economic sectors ranging from agriculture to hospitality."From the moment that we signed this agreement, it has shown how important the signing of the Abraham Accords was and the tremendous wisdom of our leaders in making this breakthrough for our region and the world," said Watergen president and CEO Dr. Michael Mirilashvili."Though I had other plans, as soon as I learned of the accords, I rushed here in order to show the world the tremendous impact and importance of this historic step," he said. "With this agreement, we're showing our two nations, the region and the world, what is possible with peace."Emirati Al-Dahra to bring innovative Israeli drinking water technologies to the Gulf. (Watergen)Created by the environmentally savvy Rishon Lezion-based tech company, Watergen's Gen-L water-from-air system taps into atmospheric water using patented heat-exchange technology, producing up to 5,000 liters of clean water per day – and requiring no infrastructure other than a standard electricity supply.According to the company's website, it is “perfect for villages, off-grid settlements and factories.”The system works through Watergen’s built-in blower, which draws air into the system’s atmospheric water generator. There, an internal filter cleans the air by removing dust and dirt. The air is then directed through the GENius heat exchange and cooling process, and water is condensed from it.The water is then filtered again to remove impurities and add minerals, resulting in fresh, drinking-quality water. Once produced, the water is continuously circulated in a built-in reservoir to preserve its freshness.The water produced by Watergen solutions is therefore often of a higher quality than water running through filtration systems attached to municipal water lines.
Last year, the company’s system was donated to authorities in Brazil, Vietnam and India. It also assisted rescue and recovery efforts during the 2018 California wildfires, as well as providing clean water to the residents of Texas and Florida in the aftermath of the devastation caused by hurricanes Harvey and Irma.Watergen also developed a small-scale version for home and office use named GENNY, which has the ability to produce up to 30 liters of potable water every day – significantly reducing plastic usage and disposal by eliminating the waste caused by drinking bottled water.GENNY also has the potential to serve as an air purifier, circulating clean air throughout homes through a small tweak in the water generation process, using the already existing technology to create a multipurpose product.While the technology is now firmly focused on tackling the global water shortage, the company has maintained the energy-efficient edge of its early-day designers and boasts the world’s most energy-efficient atmospheric water production system.
