Entrepreneurs in Jordan have developed an advanced machine that tackles the country’s water scarcity issue by extracting water from the desert air. The success of this groundbreaking invention has garnered significant attention, with the Jordanian government pre-ordering 1,000 units of the flagship device. The achievement has also attracted numerous talented scientists who are eager to contribute further advancements and enhance water resources in Jordan, a relatively stable nation in the Near East.
Jordan presents an interesting paradox, boasting the highest academic involvement in the Arab world while simultaneously struggling with a lackluster entrepreneurial landscape and severe water insecurity, which ranks among the highest globally.
Aquaporo, a relatively simple machine comparable in size to an air conditioner, has stepped forward to address this pressing issue. It has the capacity to extract 35 liters of water daily from a desert environment with a humidity level of just 20%.
A substantial portion of Jordan’s population has limited access to water, with an annual allocation of only 200 cubic meters per person and a mere 36 hours of tap water per week, which is regulated by the authorities. The World Health Organization also warns that such water scarcity can have major detrimental effects on human health and economic development. Aquaporo’s innovation can provide a possible solution to alleviate these concerns.
The CEO of Aquaporo, Kyle Cordova, and the engineering director, Husam Almassad, initially embarked on their journey at Jordan’s Royal Scientific Society, working alongside a group of trainees. Their invention began resembling a chest freezer but has since involved into an air conditioning unit perched atop a conventional water cooler. Within the machine, rows of nanomaterials, intricately shaped into tubes and other structures, act as a filter, extracting water from the air. The underlying physics of this process is akin to the Venturi Effect, observed in Classical Indian architecture, harnessing the acceleration of air as it passes through narrow pathways.
The machine leaves behind the denser water vapor, which then condenses, collects in a designated apparatus, and ultimately flows into a reservoir within a Jordanian household. Studies evaluating the effectiveness of Aquaporo’s invention demonstrate that it achieves water purity levels surpassing those of Nestle brand bottled water, all while extracting moisture from the air at twice the rate of existing technologies.
It also worth noting that the practice of harvesting water from the air has been employed by humans for millennia. Increasingly, these traditional methods are being employed in arid regions of developing nations. For instance, Aquaporo employs fog nets to extract water from low-lying clouds originating from the ocean in southern Morocco, further exemplifying the company’s commitment to addressing water scarcity through innovative means.
Aquaporo CEO, Cordova, told Fast Company, “This was a Jordanian invention, made for Jordan. Young people in Jordan have great ideas. My job is to show that research can make it out of the lab.”
You can see more about how the unit works by checking the Aquaporo website here.
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