An 82-year-old man has discovered a method to extract water from the air, paving the way for the commercial use of this unique technology.
82-year-old Enrique Vega is an engineer who was inspired to find ways to make access to water easier after his native Spain faced a series of droughts in the 1990s.
Quoted by Reuters, Tuesday (12/10/2021), with this invention, Vega hopes to help those who are in the desert and remote areas with limited availability of water.
With climate change in the spotlight, access to water is expected to be increasingly limited, with droughts becoming more common in already poor communities around the world.
The technology will make water using the same mechanism as air conditioners. Only by using electricity, the device can cool the air around it. Then, it takes a process that goes a step further by condensing water vapour.
However, Vega’s water discovery pilot didn’t work everywhere, especially in places where temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). He fixed it when he founded Aquaer in 2004 to expand the range of life-saving products.
According to a Reuters report, the small model of the water maker can produce 50-70 litres per day. Large installations can produce 5,000 litres of water every day. With the help of an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) called Water Inception, the company is expanding the reach of its water solutions to villages and towns with poor water access.
The current water extractor method can work in areas with 10-15 percent humidity. The company installed water units in the Namib desert in Africa and is also offering water-related solutions to refugee camps in Lebanon through NGOs.
