Water Harvesting Inc Named Most Promising Technology at WEFTEC 2019

Deck: Innovation that can pull water from air, even in arid regions honored at major conference

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – Water Harvesting Inc, in its first-ever appearance at the Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) in Chicago, won the Innovation Pavilion’s 2019 “Croc Tank” competition, securing the judges vote for the most promising technology.  A total of seven technologies were entered.

“Atmospheric water capture with Metal Organic Frameworks is a relatively new innovation,” says Paul O’Callaghan, CEO of BlueTech Research, a global provider of water technology market intelligence, and sponsor of the Innovation Pavilion and “Croc Tank” Competition. “We are optimistic about this technology as it suggests we may be able to deliver water where no water exists at all and at a cost less than bottled water.”

MOFs were pioneered by Professor Omar M. Yaghi at the University of California, Berkeley.  Water Harvesting Inc is advancing the development of this proprietary MOF that produces water at low humidity (at or greater than 15% Relative Humidity), cycles rapidly (adsorption/desorption), while minimizing energy usage to create clean, pure, H₂O.  To date, the WHI developmental prototype has run more than 3000 cycles producing water which has been tested to meet EPA drinking water standards.

The judges of the Croc Tank acknowledged the value of the innovation with many regions in the world having very low relative humidity and little-to-no natural water source. Even in the United States there are numerous rural utilities that are not able to meet demand because of water shortages or tainted supplies. Both scarcity and cleanliness of drinking water are growing issues globally.

During his presentation at WEFTEC, Frank Slovenec, WHI VP, Strategy and Business Development, noted that the process is very cost-effective, stating that water can be produced for one-tenth the cost of bottled water. Three sizes of Water Harvesters will be commercially available in 2020: a model that produces eight-liters per day and will be ideal for home use; a 200 L/day model for use in hotels, hospitals and schools; and a 20,000 L/day unit for military bases, disaster sites and rural communities in arid regions.

ABOUT WATER HARVESTING, INC:  Water Harvesting Inc was formed in the summer of 2018 to commercialize atmospheric water harvesting systems based on MOFs (metal organic frameworks). MOFs were pioneered by Professor Omar Yaghi at the University of California, Berkeley, and have been demonstrated to work for atmospheric water harvesting application, even under very arid conditions. Water Harvesting Inc has negotiated an exclusive commercial rights agreement with UC Berkeley to develop and commercialize water harvesting systems. It has also filed three provisional U.S. patent applications related to details of the system design and MOF formulation. Water Harvesting Inc combines industry leaders, each with decades of experience, MOF experts, and a commitment to addressing the global challenge of water scarcity. For more information, see: http://www.wahainc.com/