New technology to harvest water from the air

One company is helping to address the global water shortage with its breakthrough system

Spotted: Water plays many vital roles in our body and the environment and is needed for basic sanitation, but there are many places in the world where clean water is not readily available. While multiple factors like inadequate or damaged infrastructure, poor resource management, and pollution are contributing to low water supply, it is clear that climate change is also playing a part. 

This is where NovNat Tech comes in. With its technology, NovNat aims to improve water security and boost climate change resilience. This Birmingham-based company has developed a novel ‘atmospheric water harvester’ powered by waste heat from industrial operations, to help provide reliable and consistent water access by extracting water from the air at scale. NovNat’s proprietary porous materials act as a nano-scale selective sponge to soak atmospheric humidity and convert it into water. 

Having been rigorously tested, the harvester’s materials have demonstrated breakthrough performance in capturing and releasing water from the air – much faster and with less energy required than pre-existing atmospheric water generation (AWG) systems. The company is currently developing a prototype AWG system, funded by Innovate UK, designed to deliver water on the go for rescue and military vehicles.  

The air is filled with many valuable resources, and many innovations are looking to harness these for good use. In the archive, Springwise has also spotted a team that’s made a massive step towards providing hydrogen fuel from the air and a solar-powered panel that captures water vapour from the atmosphere. 

Written By: Anam Alam