Turning air into water

J-STORIES ー Atmospheric water generators (AWGs) are devices that extract water from the air. They can be vital in arid areas or when water supplies are disrupted, such as after a natural disaster. Now, Japanese startups are competing to offer upgraded AWGs that produce purer and better tasting water. There is also a potential market for compact AWGs for the home and vehicles.

Most AWGs collect water through condensation by rapidly cooling the air. Ai Heart Japan’s devices use a special filter to absorb and collect water. Motoki Hachisuka, the company's senior managing director, told J-Stories that this means the device can be used at temperatures as low as 1 C, which is impossible with condensation AWGs. The company is working on industrial devices that can produce 1 or 2 kiloliters of water a day.

Ai Heart Japan’s "Izumi AWG" uses a special filter and can produce water in around 30 minutes after being turned on.      Source: Ai Heart Japan — Ai Heart Japan’s "Izumi AWG" uses a special filter and can produce water in around 30 minutes after being turned on. Source: Ai Heart Japan

Aquatech, meanwhile, makes condensation AWGs for both home and industrial use and plans to launch an energy-efficient device called Airlith this July. The company's spokesman Tetsuya Amano says that a merit of condensation technology is that it’s relatively cheap and produces large volumes of water.

Aquatech’s Airlith is an industrial-use device capable of collecting 150 to 200 liters of water a day.      Source: Aquatech — Aquatech’s Airlith is an industrial-use device capable of collecting 150 to 200 liters of water a day. Source: Aquatech

Other selling points are the purity and taste of the water collected by AWGs.

Enell’s Mugensui device uses a special filter that admits only water molecules. It then passes the collected water through water containing magnesium, calcium, iron, sodium, potassium and zinc. This improves the taste and health benefits.

Aquam’s largest industrial AWG can produce around 10 kiloliters of water a day but the company is also working on a device small enough for a car. Lastly, Oishii Air offers an AWG that also includes an air purifier and dehumidifier.

AWGs are being produced in many other countries, including the U.S., China, Israel and India. But Japanese companies hope to capitalize on their reputation for safety and added value through advanced technology.

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Translation and Editing by Tony McNicol