David Stuckenberg, cofounder and chief operations officer at Genesis Techniques, explains that the WaterCube makes use of proprietary liquid and stable sorbents—supplies that take in water—that primarily “kind a handshake with the water within the air.” The machine then heats these supplies to extract the water.
Atmospheric water turbines sometimes require a considerable quantity of power to run, however Stuckenberg claims the corporate’s supplies work 400 % higher than these which are at present commercially obtainable, and that they’ve a really excessive affinity for water.
However the tech comes at a steep worth. The WaterCube delivered to St. Petersburg is listed at $860,000. The corporate simply began promoting a second, smaller system for house use referred to as the WaterCube 100, which retails for $20,000 and is concerning the dimension of an HVAC system. That system can generate about 100 to 200 gallons of water per day. Effectivity ranges from 0.07 to 0.8 kilowatt-hours per gallon of water and prices anyplace from $10 to $80 a day to function, relying on value of power and humidity. A WaterCube can run on both photo voltaic or typical power.
The machines make extra water in a damp setting and work effectively in atmospheric humidity right down to 40 %. Stuckenberg says the corporate is continually enhancing its expertise and is working with the US Division of Protection to have the ability to generate water at 10 % humidity.
The WaterCube connects to a constructing’s water provide in order that water doesn’t should be harvested instantly from the machine. “The techniques are designed to connect with something from a backyard hose to a hospital water system, and supply water that goes by means of 4 steps of filtration earlier than it leaves,” Stuckenberg says.
After Hurricane Mawar hit the US territory of Guam in Could 2023, Genesis Techniques labored with the US Air Pressure to check the WaterCube 1000 in a catastrophe response situation on the island.
At their present worth, and for the quantity of water they’re in a position to generate, these units are unlikely to be the only supply of water in a majority of these conditions anytime quickly. In keeping with figures published by the US Department of Energy, a hospital the dimensions of All Youngsters’s would sometimes use anyplace from 10,000 to 90,000 gallons a day, relying on the companies offered, age of the constructing, and water use practices. That’s excess of the two,000 gallons that the bigger Genesis Techniques unit is ready to produce in 24 hours.
Nonetheless, in situations the place water can’t be restored or transported instantly to an space, these units might be able to function a bridge or a supplementary supply of water. However with the intention to be helpful, they have to be in the suitable place on the proper time, and the logistics of transferring an 18,000-pound machine in a catastrophe state of affairs will be difficult.
In keeping with a hospital spokesperson, All Youngsters’s didn’t find yourself needing to attract water from the system; shortly after it was delivered, the town’s sewer system was practical and water service resumed with a boil advisory. “We had been in a position to modify our operations accordingly,” the spokesperson mentioned on Friday. Over the weekend, Florida’s AHCA relocated the WaterCube to a shelter the place it may be shortly moved to a different location if wanted.
