Waterex: Water Out of Thin Air
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin 
on 08. 6.05
Here is a technology which raises an eyebrow in the first glance, but shows so much promise, we have to bring it to your attention. The Waterex water maker condenses water out of the air and serves it up hot or cold. It looks a bit like the traditional water cooler, but it can go where plumbing can't: such as your off-grid mansion or your crewed Yacht. OK, that's the "who needs to pay 1000 Pounds Sterling (about 1780 US Dollars) for a water filter" sarcasm showing its face. And although Waterex has filled their website with lots of blurbs emphasizing the number of people without access to clean water, the humidity in the air of the most water deprived locations will certainly limit its utility for solving the world's crisis. But the concept is interesting, and maybe if the rich popularize this gadget, Waterex's R&D will lead to a portable everyman's version? The wind-up Waterex?
The technical details: Waterex claims the unit will produce water for as low as 0.05 USD per liter. Treehugger note: if you could turn your A/C off in the less humid room, some efficiency could be achieved. It can produce 30 liters (7.9 gallons per day and store 20 liters (5.3 gallons), recommended for supporting up to ten people. A five stage filtration system ensures the purest drinking water--and will clean up the air in your room too. For more detail, see Waterex. You can compare and contrast with the Air2Water Dolphin to find the right model for your needs.
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A low cost method of doing the same is to take metal, shape it like an upside down christmas tree. All of the branches should have a trough kind of like a blade of grass, with the junction of all of the branches actually being a channel to lead condensed water to the trunk. The trunk should have a container at the bottom. During the night water condensed on the metal, as it gets too heavy it flows down the branches to the trunk and into the container. In early morning one could tap the trunk to help more water flow into the container. During rainstorms all water would collect into the container as well. This is the same as plants collecting water at night when water condenses...take a walk in the grass at night and see how wet it is. No need to have the heater or cooler in third world applications as they have no power to run the thing anyway. With a little work, one could probably be made with folding branches and packed in boxes much like artificial christmas trees are shipped. The metal does not have to be heavy, making it a portable item for travel through third world countries. Have a great day.
Isn't distilled water bad for one's health? IIRC it's too acidic and leaches out minerals from your body
Actually, if I was building a new home, I might consider it on my everyman budget.
Hiya, this one's been on sale in the UK since April -
http://wirelessdigest.typepad.com/hippyshopper/2005/04/water_out_of_th.html
An American version of this is from the "Air to Water Co"- for about $1000-1200. The owner of this company is actually working with the UN and some 3rd world countries. The website is "airtowaterco.com"
This device isn't very green in so far as it essentially converts the burning of coal or nuclear fuel to water.
Given that there is a lot of convertible sunlight in dry hot places it need not use conventional energy, but then again you need humidity to make water.
This device uses a lot of energy: 10950 kWh (Kilowatt-hour) Consumption to produce water.
Using the electricity consumption (1250 watts the amount of electricity this cooler needs according to there website.)
The cost of electricity in Toronto ($.08 CAD) per kWh
It would cost you $876 per year to run this all day every day ( $73 CAD per month)
To make 8 liters of water a day (with 45% humidity)
Given that most places with water shortage have less than 10% humidity it would be reasonable to expect about 1.5 letters per day @ a cost of $2.40 CAD.
With that in mind it would be more cost efficient and environmental sound to ship bottles evian from Europe to the dry parts of Africa to meet there water needs. (reducing a lot of pollution.)
Not to mention the device would take all the humidity out of the air, what does that to the the Indore environments.
I am not saying this device wouldn't be great in a place like Singapore where they import there drinking water and have lots of humidity, i am just pointing out that there are 2 sides to every story, and this solution is not a life saver.
Tim
what about substituting it for a de-humidifier in a room that needs to be maintained at a low humidity level? Win-win situation?
Tim's got some really good points. And until we all have our own unlimited free energy machines this might not be the most treehuggery thing on the planet....
but we have to also remember that water vapour accounts for 36-70% of the Greenhouse effect so in a way... if u use one of these gizmos for your drinking water, you may actually be helping to dampen climate change! so it may actually be treehuggerish.... (my only question is that the last one of these we saw here a few months ago has like 8 differentfilters on it so the water wudl come out clean.... what about this one? Tim??
How about a fireplace that burns water? You could hook it up to the Waterex and have a water cycle, except that both use electricity....
from http://www.ohgizmo.com/?p=470
The Aqueon "fireplace is a modern marvel as well as a visual delight. The Aqueon produces heat from hydrogen fueled flames released when a current is passed through water (electrolysis). The color of the flame (adjustable) is augmented by the oxygen released in the same process, and the excess oxygen is left to wander in your well heated living space.
"Due out this summer, and not a price tag in sight, this fireplace produces 31,000 BTU’s, running on 220V and a supply of water (tap is fine, distilled is preferred)."
Heat & Glo (http//www.heatnglo.com) makes the direct vent gas fireplace (which allows you to place your gas fireplace safely in any location).
Its electrical efficiency isn't the best, but when you consider its triple-function, it might do.
A water producing, air-filter/dehumidfier?
I hang in the kitchen a lot and this might work.
Besides, I'm more of an anti utility-guy than a true planet-saver. I keep waiting for science to bring us closer to every man woman and child being guaranteed the right to have electricty, water and *gasp* huge SUVs without making some creep more billions. Saving the planet is a by-product that makes me happy, not my original intent, though.
This device brings me hope that one day I can stop paying for drinking water. In a new home, I would undoubtedly have solar to cover the electricity and if someone refines and lowers the cost on this device, I can drink (almost) free water. I plan on an elaborate rain water collection for my washing machine, and clean-up/mudroom style hoses and greywater for my garden/flushing, why not pull moisture from the air to get my drinking/cooking water? That just leaves me to pay for my own ultra long showers from the tap.
I for one am glad that someone thought to marry an old as heck technology to the emerging green community's desires. Just wish they'd knock it down a few bucks... Cash efficiency is important to me too!
This sounds really cool, but would it make more sense to make one that is solar powered too? I mean come on if it is to help thrid world countries or at least places were they need better drinking water, would it be in the best intrest to have the thing solar run. Free energy is really good in my book.
not sure if developing countries need to pull water from air, but you're right they do need drinking water and youre right they do need low energy solutions... this was (pretty sure) mentioned here before, a great low energy passive solar system for clean drinking water every day (even from sea water) is available.... invented by solar pioneer Horace McCracken these solar stills work great and never need electricity (once shipped)
"Not to mention the device would take all the humidity out of the air, what does that to the the Indore environments."
Would it in fact take ALL of the humidity out of the air? Is that possible?
I have a GE dehumidifier in my basement that produces (a maximum of) 50 pints of water in 24 hours -- about six gallons. This cost about 1/10 of what the described appliance was. If it ran continuously, it would require about 15kwh in 24 hours. I've never drunk it, but this water is crystal clear. What remains, then, is to get rid of the little microbeasties that might be in there.
Now for another thought -- Could it be that people in arid regions are poor precisely because water is in short supply? Water is a natural resource, and many economies are built on exploiting whatever natural resources are available. If you have water, then you can have agriculture, for example. Or, if you have minerals in the ground that you can dig up and sell, then you can afford to have water and food shipped in. So maybe, if people are poor, and also have no water resource, then the place is not economically viable, period.
We need information about the price of machine by American dollar when receipt it in Cairo - Egypt and pamphlet the nearest time.
Dear Sir& Madam
We are interesting your products that below:
a)Electricity Free Clothes Washing
b)Dishwasher
What can we do if wse would like to make the sure to selling in Thailand country.
Thank you
Thaipat
I am Dr. Michael from Egypt and I have good experience for water and I am interesting to work with your company and i need to know the price of unit by amirecan dollar
Best Regard
Dr. Michael
To me it looks like a dehumidifier with a filter.
Before I got a front loading washer I used to dump the water from my dehumidifier into my washer.