Water Harvesting Applications

• Fighting Desertification: Desertification is the process by which vegetation in drylands (arid and semi-arid lands) decreases and eventually disappears. Desertification leads to loss of biodiversity, food insecurity due to crop failure and reduced yields. Atoco’s AWH technology provides a sustainable, off-the-grid, water generation and supply solution to regenerate vegetation in areas suffering from desertification.
• Desert Farming: Desert farming is the practice of developing agriculture in deserts. As agriculture depends on irrigation and water supply, farming in arid regions where water shortage is a common issue presents a significant challenge. Atoco’s water generators not only secure water supply by providing an in-house water production system to farmers but also ensure the delivery of high-quality water.
• Urban Greenery: According to the World Health Organization (WHO) it is essential to human health to have access to a minimum of 9 m2 of green space (WHO, 2016). This is especially relevant in urban surroundings, where access to greenery is constrained. Atoco’s AWH technology can be deployed in solutions that are installed on buildings, in parks, by the road, in passive or active mode, irrespective of the humidity regime.
• Arid Land Greenery: In dry and arid lands, it can be costly and difficult to maintain greenery, for instance along high-ways, rail ways cutting through remote locations. Rather than relying on expensive water transport, generating a significant carbon footprint, the water can be generated through a variety of decentralized AWH hubs.

 

Advantages of our technology in Agricultural & Irrigation Settings – Our Solutions:

 

• Can operate in environments of extremely low humidities found in deserts and arid lands suffering from water scarcity.
• Can operate entirely off-grid without the use of electricity (passive mode) and because they rely on novel reticular materials, the mechanical parts as well as service requirements are minimized. In effect, the operational expenditure is low.
• Offer a truly sustainable alternative for generating clean water, as no brine and no CO₂ is generated as a side product.
• Can be combined with a wider irrigation system of pipes and pumps, or simply operate at a decentralized level, where the water generated is supporting individual greeneries with fresh and clean water, without the use of irrigation.
• Can be combined with other technologies managing nutrition levels, as fertilizers or nutrients can be added to the water generated.
• Are self-regulated and can be monitored through remote sensing technologies.

 

• Portable Handheld Devices: Hikers, rescue workers and military personnel rely on access to drinking water. In arid lands, water can be scarce and if available contaminated. Relying on natural reserves is therefore dangerous and potentially life threatening. Our AWH solutions can be developed into handheld devices that fit in a backpack and operate without the use of electricity. They can support the daily water needs of individuals.
• Remote Water Stations: To supplement the lack of reliable natural reservoirs of water, permanent and self-regulated water stations can be set up, harvesting water from the air without the use of electricity can be set up.
• Household Drinking Water: Our AWH solutions provide households with water security and independence, generating high-quality drinking water directly from air, even when relative humidity is too low.
• Mobile Emergency Units for Temporary Refugee Camps and Shelters: In the wake of natural disasters and war, the establishment of a reliable source of clean water is critical. Our solutions can be scaled to support thousands of people with clean and safe drinking water, irrespective of the local water regime. It can operate with or without the use of electricity.
• Mobile Response Units for Temporary Military Camps: Military expeditions in arid lands and complex terrain is a complex logistical endeavor, not least in terms of making critical resources (such as water and fuel) available. Currently, military camps often rely on costly and risky water transport. We can provide AWHs of any water output, that do not rely on electricity, meaning we will reduce the need for water transport altogether. Alternatively, we can run AWHs in active mode. This might increase output, but the electricity required will still be less than the energy consumed on water transports. And the water-security and self-reliance will have been massively improved.

 

Advantages of our technology in applications for drinking water and human consumptions – Our Solutions:

 

• Can operate in environments of extremely low humidities found in deserts and arid lands suffering from water scarcity.
• Do not rely on natural water resources such as rivers, lakes, or other reservoirs of water.
• Are based on novel molecularly engineered materials, and therefore largely operate with minimal mechanical parts. Because of their advanced designs, they are extremely robust and reliable, even under harsh conditions, which minimizes ongoing maintenance requirements.
• Can be scaled in size to fit any use-case, ranging from hand-held devices supporting individuals, to large-scale solutions, supporting thousands of people every day.
• Provide high-quality water standards that comply with the WHO drinking water standards and the US EPA drinking water standards.