Residents in the UAE now have the opportunity to enjoy water generated from the air in the comfort of their homes and workplaces. Ma Hawa, an Emirates-based company, has developed a range of water dispensers that produce water from the surrounding air. At the recently concluded Gitex Global event, numerous attendees quenched their thirst with the company's pure water.
While the product is currently exclusively accessible to businesses, it will soon be made available in retail stores. The company offers two sizes of water bottles – a 330ml bottle priced at Dh3 and a 700ml bottle available for Dh6.
How does the process work?
The transformation of air into safe drinking water involves several stages. According to Amro Asmael, the Director of Marketing at Ma Hawa, the process begins with drawing in purified air and cooling it to extract water. This resulting condensate then undergoes a treatment procedure, ultimately rendering it suitable for consumption. The purification process starts with a series of air filters. The water generation process commences with a heat exchange operation. Subsequently, the water is transferred to a buffer tank and is then filtered through three layers of filtration. In the final phase, the water is exposed to UV rays to eliminate any potential bacteria.
Genny: Producing 30 liters of drinking water per day
Genny, which costs Dh14,000 per unit, has the capacity to extract 30 liters of drinking water daily directly from the air. It is designed for residential and small office use and has already been acquired by various entities including Adnec, government organizations, exhibition centers, parks, and corporate headquarters.
“This water dispenser generates 11,000 liters of water annually without depleting any natural water resources, thus reducing plastic bottle consumption by 45,000 bottles per year and lowering the annual carbon footprint by 4,500 kilograms," Asmael emphasized.
Portable Solutions
Another product, known as the Mobile Box, can produce up to 25 liters of fresh drinking water and is portable, making it ideal for outdoor activities. Priced at just under $5,000 (Dh18,350), this solution eliminates the need to carry plastic bottles or search for open water sources. It is tailored for travelers, campers, and personal use, serving as a compact, water-generating unit suitable for camping vans, long-haul trucks, and more.
Gen-M1, on the other hand, is a medium-scale portable unit capable of generating up to 220 liters of drinking water per day.
Exceeding Demand
Operating as a subsidiary of Baynunah Watergeneration Technologies, the company operates a bottling factory in Al Ain and claims to hold patented technology for air-to-water generation. Asmael noted that the demand currently surpasses the supply, prompting the company to consider expanding its production. They have a small production line generating around 3,000 bottles daily, and a new factory in Kizad is under construction, expected to be operational in the coming weeks, with a production capacity of 4,500 bottles per hour. This expansion will be sufficient to cater to the entire UAE and potentially support exports.