The increasingly pressing issues of water supply
The water content of the atmosphere has been used for thousands of years as a source of water in places where surface and groundwater sources are not available or only to a limited extent and where climatic conditions allow it. One thing is for sure: there is no life without water. It can be assumed that the Mayan and Inca empires, which once flourished in Central America, the Harappan civilization of the Indus Valley, the Assyrian civilization of the Middle East, or the Mycenaean civilization disappeared due to other reasons, among other reasons. We can see the signs in today’s news and it is feared that a similar drought will arrive in the 21st century, for which it would not hurt to prepare.
Would water extracted from the atmosphere be the solution?
In many places in the world, there are still structures that extract water from the moisture of the air; for example, in Morocco, the stretched fog harvesting nets and the Warka bamboo tower, but there are many passive solutions through the Chilean Acatama Desert and the Andes Mountains to Iran.
The old systems are working, but the collected water vapor is not directly suitable for human consumption and the production capacities are not significant. I think we know much more than these passive procedures today! I see industrial condensation solutions that utilize the latest technological achievements of the present age as an opportunity to provide at least a partial solution to the global water shortage.
More and more people are interested in extracting air humidity
Today, the topic of atmospheric water has more and more publicity. The number of articles and written materials published on the subject shows a dynamic increase, and the number of internet searches has also started to increase significantly.
An interesting consequence of the increasing interest is that in GoogleAds they charge us up to 40 USD for a click (CPC) for the search term “atmospheric water generator”. In my experience, most market players only hope for profit from this and are less interested in social utility, but despite this, I consider the widespread introduction and dissemination of AWG technology as my mission and not just as a business.
For those who are more deeply interested in the topic of Atmospheric Water Harvesting Methods (AWG), I would like to draw your attention to the comprehensive study “An overview of atmospheric water harvesting methods, the inevitable path of the future in water supply” by the National Library of Medical (An official website of the United States government).
Legal regulation of drinking water and its production equipment
Drinking water is considered a foodstuff and, as such, the strictest legal regulations apply to equipment that comes into contact with drinking water. Anyone who deals with the topic is aware that drinking water is the most strictly controlled food, whether it is tap water or bottled mineral water, and the conditions under which they are produced or distributed are also strictly controlled by the authorities. Strict standards, technical requirements and regulatory requirements apply to water dispensers, cooling or water purification equipment alike. Access to water is a fundamental right of every human being and natural persons cannot be sanctioned if they provide drinking water for themselves from sources that do not comply with the regulations. Of course, this does not mean that they do not expose themselves to infection or damage to health.
Is it possible to produce drinking water with a homemade solution?
Yes, natural persons are not limited in this. However, it is worth looking carefully at what can be the method and means of producing water that meets our goals. Of course, we also think about it – although the basic operating principle of atmospheric water generators – seems really simple (just like that of a refrigerator, washing machine or microwave oven), but perhaps it is no coincidence that most of us prefer to buy such things in the technical store. I don’t want to dissuade anyone, I’m just trying to explain the most important information before anyone starts making their own atmospheric water generator DIY with the help of a YouTube video or Facebook DIY post.
My company regularly receives questions, suggestions or criticism questioning the usefulness of AWGs through the channels of the internet. Laymen usually think that an atmospheric water generator cannot be so complicated, since for example an air conditioner also produces water extracted from the vapor as a by-product during its operation, and there is enough water in the shops anyway… Thus, many people think that this is just an unnecessary gadget or another trickery. This article was not written for them!
What should we not tap the air with?
Well, definitely not with air conditioning, as the materials used in the heat exchanger and evaporator of these devices do not meet food safety standards, which means that the resulting gray water usually contains toxic heavy metal salts and dangerous bacteria.
Best practices to harvesting the sky
The natural drain of the atmosphere is to collect precipitation, for which we do not need a machine, only a gutter and a collection tank. If someone wants to use the water collected in this way, they can only use it for washing cars or perhaps for irrigation, but plants will also need to replace minerals. If grey water is intended for human consumption, this is only possible with the use of a very expensive and highly energy-intensive reverse osmosis (RO) filtration system, proper disinfection and the replacement of mineral salts.
Draining water from air humidity with homemade methods seems less insurmountable to DIY-ers, but solving water treatment will be a serious challenge, not to mention intelligent control and IoT solutions. Most people are only interested in tapping the air, but fewer people ask us about water treatment. However, without proper pre-filtration, filtration, mineral replenishment, pH value adjustment, or sterilization, the equipment will not be usable.
Water treatment. It is interesting that at this point, experts who have become smart online usually give up and do it better, because with an inappropriate AWG construction, they can even endanger their own and their family’s health. It is better to entrust an expert to create complicated equipment! Perhaps a convincing argument in favor of this is that FND has 26 years of relevant R&D experience, more than 400 patents in the water industry and its innovative AWG solutions are even used in the space program.
Optimal technical solution
Just as in the case of heat pump air conditioners, the most efficient technical specification for the function is optimized at the design stage, so our water production machines are designed by our engineers specifically for water production, i.e. they pay attention to the fact that most of the heat generated during water production is also utilized in the water treatment unit. Atmospheric water generators clean and minimally cool the ambient air during their operation, but this is not their primary goal, but the most economical water production. Healthy drinking water is provided by an advanced filtration and water treatment system controlled by a microprocessor, which not only doses the mineral salts necessary for the human body, but also sterilizes the water stored in the tank at regular intervals.
WizzWell’s atmospheric Water Generators are not only represent cutting edge technology but they are also beautiful!
