UAE reveals plans to make drinking water from thin air

UAE reveals plans to make drinking water from thin air
UAE reveals plans to make drinking water from thin air

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is planning to install 'water generators' that turn moisture in the air into drinking water for public consumption. 

Powered by environmentally-friendly solar energy, the 'hyper-dehumidifiers' provide a plentiful and uninterrupted water supply from the humid UAE air. 

About 20 of the dehumidifiers can produce 6,700 litres of fresh water a day when local conditions are at 78°F (26°C) and 60 per cent humidity. 

The technology is being tested as part of a pilot this October, but if successful it will be rolled out in Masdar – a futuristic 'sustainable city' currently being built next to Abu Dhabi airport.

The 'hyper-dehumidifiers' (pictured) provide an uninterrupted water supply that's safe for the public to drink. The water generators will be installed at Khalifa University's Masdar Institute Solar Platform in Masdar City as part of a pilot this year

The 'hyper-dehumidifiers' (pictured) provide an uninterrupted water supply that's safe for the public to drink. The water generators will be installed at Khalifa University's Masdar Institute Solar Platform in Masdar City as part of a pilot this year

DEW POINT AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY  

The machines use a coolant to reduce the temperature of the moisture-packed air until it reaches 'dew point' 

The dew point is the temperature the air needs to be cooled to in order to achieve a relative humidity (RH) of 100 per cent.

Relative humidity is the amount of moisture in the air compared to what the air can 'hold' at that temperature.

At 100 per cent relative humidity, the air can't 'hold' all the moisture, resulting in dew, condensation or rain. 

At 0 per cent relative humidity, air is devoid of water vapour.   

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Masdar is powered by an impressive 22-hectare (54-acre) field of 87,777 solar panels, as well as additional panels on the roofs of its buildings. 

It's these solar panels that power the generators' massive fans, which themselves suck moisture-packed air from the surrounding environment.

Pipes filled with this moisture-packed air are circulated with a liquid coolant, to cool the air down until it reaches what's known as the 'dew point' – when water vapour condenses into liquid water. 

Once the liquid forms, it is collected and purified, allowing the public to fill their water bottles for free around dedicated stations. 

The project is being run by US-based water technologies firm Aquovum, in partnership with Masdar and Khalifa University of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi.

According to experts, the carbon-free technology will help relieve the UAE's reliance on desalinating seawater and expensive imports of bottled water in what's one of the hottest climates on Earth. 

Middle East and Africa alone are some of the world's harshest climates where water is needed the most.  

'Almost shockingly, being that the UAE is one of the water-stressed areas in the world, it has adequate temperature and humidity to provide an infinite supply of water through dehumidification,' Robert Wood, Aquovum's chief technological officer, told the Times.

'At times there are periods of immense fog in Abu Dhabi and Dubai,

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