What it does
MENA is significantly impacted by water scarcity which adversely affected its agricultural productivity, food security, and livelihoods. Atmospheric Water Generation using underground condensation offers a cutting-edge air-to-water technology for irrigation.
Your inspiration
UAE is one of the most determined countries in providing sustainable solutions for food and water security, and considering that the strategic planning of the country is to achieve net-zero economy, it was the best time to develop sustainable products for tackling the water scarcity and energy consumption challenges. As environmental advocates, our team decided to start the journey to combat the water scarcity challenges being faced in the agricultural lands and irrigation of landscapes. Developing the start-up at each stage was a new learning for the team and ensured that the technology is aligned with the market and its needs.
How it works
The DewHopper technology operates based on the principle of condensing air humidity through enhanced geothermal cooling. In arid regions, the soil mainly consists of sands, which provides the advantage of maintaining lower temperatures at deeper levels. Here’s how the system works: DewHopper: This device passes the air through a series of ducts leading underground. Through an electronic cooling effect, it rejects heat into the ground. Adsorbents: Placed within the ducts, these adsorbents collect water. This harvested water can be used for irrigation or other purposes. The system not only offers a local solution to water scarcity but also provides a sustainable method for water regeneration in arid lands near coastal areas.
Design process
In arid regions with coastal access to water, desalination stands out as a prominent yet environmentally inefficient method for water production. As an alternative, various water-generating devices exist, including Atmospheric Water Generators (AWGs). However, these machines are highly energy-intensive and primarily designed for producing drinkable water. The aim of this project is to provide solution that is affordable, yet efficient for the farmers. The initial process was to study the geophysical characteristics of the lands, which data has shown to have average temperature of 30 degrees Celsius at 6 ft. deep. In order to condensate the water, it requires to decrease the temperature to reach dew point temperature at a given relative humidity. This is possible at 80 percent above relative humidity using electronic cooling units (ECU). Further cooling techniques is still required at lower humidity, which we are currently studying to further enhance the DewHopper product.
How it is different
DewHopper, the Geo-Solar Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) is revolutionizing the irrigation system as a decentralized product to reduce the water transportation costs and ensures to achieve the market's water demand per day in farm. DewHopper proved to produce water more than water demand in agriculture at high relative humidity. DewHopper is independent from the grid and is solar-powered to avoid the price fluctuation from other power resources.. It is also scalable into the entire irrigation network of farms and is surely sustainable while reducing the carbon emissions and achieves. Market competitors focused on having higher water yield. Despite this, they are not utilizing the renewable power resources. On the other hand, research showed some companies used renewable resources which in return reduced the water production. DewHopper achieves medium levels of power consumption and high yield due to the cooling effect of the ground in system.
Future plans
Our team plans to further develop the prototype in order to enhance its features and be able to be tested on-ground in farms and agricultural lands. We plan to achieve our current yield at low relative humidity to make the necessary water production across the year. Currently, we are studying the inhibitors that would generate inefficiency in our system including fouling factors and adsorption efficiency. We aim to raise funding to develop the technology and expand our reach to all of GCC region and MENA region along with aiming to establish strategic partnerships and collaborations with the agricultural stakeholders.
Awards
Our team has participated in local and international start-up and entrepreneurial programs. - Finalist in EGA Ramp-Up Program 2024 (UAE) - Finalist in Sheraa Dojo Start-Up Program 2024 (UAE) - Finalist in the Goumbook Regenerative Agriculture Programme 2024
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