No seriously…the title isn’t a hoax.

It’s possible.

Much in the same way rain drops form, its possible to capture water from air through condensation.

…and make money in the process.

CONDENSATION

This principle takes place in our atmosphere.

The hot sun evaporates the water in rivers, lakes and seas.

As this vapor rises, it encounters a cooling effect as it enters the cloud zone.

Here, it condenses into droplets which coalesce together to form clouds and the cycle repeats itself when rain falls.

But we can take this principle a notch higher by boosting condensation at ground level.

This has been done using refrigeration.

REFRIGERATION

Ever since man started understanding heat, he has formulated ingenious ways of playing around with it.

And one way is through the twin principles of evaporationand condensation.

One way these two have been applied effectively is in refrigeration.

But not only has man made use of refrigeration. 

He’s found ways of using it more effectively through the discovery of refrigerants.

REFRIGERANTS

These chlorine or fluorine based compounds have a tendency to absorb heat from surroundings

Small wonder they are used in refrigeration and are conditioning.

But they could also find use in other areas such as recovering water from air.

ATMOSPHERIC WATER GENERATORS (AWGs)

Air always has some water vapor in it.

Infact, its measure is called humidity.

Humidity plays a crucial role in the lives of many creatures.

However, it may cause environmental discomfort at high levels

Conversion of this atmospheric moisture into drinkable water is therefore an option to consider after taking into account the water scarcity around us.

Atmospheric water generators do exactly that.

They literally ‘pluck’ water from air…

They generate value out of ‘nothingness’.

At its simplest form, an AWG is made up of an air pump that sucks in moist air

This air is fed inyo a chamber where it encounters a coiled pipe where the refrigerant is contained.

These coiled pipes are part of the heat exchanger.

As the air flows through the conducting pipes, heat is drawn out of it and is absorbed by the refrigerant.

So over time, the air cools down just in the same way it cools off as it rises.

And what happens when air cools off?

It condenses and forms water droplets.

These droplets collect in a reservoir as water which is filtered and sold.

MAJIK WATER

This Kenyan based start up has made headway in this sector and has been a recipient of support from the Kenya Climate Innovation Centre.

The company uses condensation technology in generating potable water from air.

But there are many opportunities available out there.

This technology could revolutionise provision of water in many water deficient areas.

Areas with high humidity levels (such as those near lakes and oceans) could be used to generate water for areas which are prone to drought. 

Besides, using an water unconventional source such as air could encourage more innovators to test wastewater,  seawater and industrial effluent as potential sources of drinking water.

IN CONCLUSION

Drawing water from a source not seen as usual gives is the opportunity to delink water usage from conventional sources such as rainfall and groundwater.

It also creates room for innovation and exploration and potentially an income in return.

So its worth a try because water it life.