San Francisco-based startup Aquaria Technologies is developing technology that extracts clean, affordable drinking water from the air.

Founded in 2022, the company aims to provide clean water in areas affected by climate change.

Its technology can extract moisture from the air and bottle it for home use. Larger models can supply water to entire communities, providing relief to regions affected by prolonged drought.

Atmospheric water generators: extracting water from the air

Atmospheric water generators (AWG) are not a new technology. However, in recent years they have become more efficient and easier to scalable.

The AWG range, developed by Aquaria, was recently nominated as a finalist for the Future Resilience Prize in the Urban Future Prize 2024 competition.

The company developed solar-powered boxes that produce water from the air. The technology is more complex than a simple humidifier, which performs a similar function but does not produce clean drinking water.

The Aquaria AWGs feature particulate filtration, carbon filtration and ultraviolet (UV) sterilization to kill any bacteria that may build up in the water.

Aquaria has developed several different models. These include the Hydrostation, which can supply water to up to 1,500 people. The Hydropixel, on the other hand, is designed for individual use. It can produce up to 24 gallons (91 L) of water per day. All it requires is a standard electrical outlet.

The company’s largest model, the Hydropack X, can produce up to 1,000 liters of drinking water per day, replacing an entire household’s dependence on tap water.

Clean drinking water for drought-affected communities

According to Aquaria, the Hydropixel is one of the most efficient AWGs in the world, using just 1.25 kWh per gallon (330 Wh/L). Homeowners who use solar power could have practically free water, while those who get electricity from the mains supply would likely get it cheaper than at their local supermarket.

According to a report by New AtlasAquaria has stated that it intends to supply one of its AWGs to a 1,000-household community in Hawaii later this year.

Aquaria is not the only company offering solutions to harvest water from the air. For example, Genesis Systems recently announced the WaterCube, a system that generates 120 gallons of water from the air every day.

According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about half of the world’s population is affected by water scarcity every month.

As regional temperature records continue to be broken, it is clear that climate change will continue to impact societies worldwide. Therefore, solutions such as Aquaria’s AWGs could prove invaluable as increasing droughts deprive people of the natural water sources they once relied on.