Majik Water has developed technology to extract water from the air using desiccant dehumidification. They hope to provide clean water for off-grid communities in Kenya and water-stressed countries.
Majik Water has successfully developed a proof of concept that can harvest clean water from the air, in order to provide safe drinking water. Their technology uses three components: a solar panel, a desiccant dehumidifier, and an activated charcoal filter. The solar panel provides the electricity needed to operate the dehumidifier in a way that does not require users to be connected to a central energy grid. The desiccant dehumidifier works by extracting water from air streams using a silicon material that adsorbs the moisture as the air passes through the machine. Afterwards, the water collected is filtered through the activated charcoal filter, trapping and removing chemicals and making it safe to drink.
The company is currently working on further developing their technology in Kenya, where the company’s CEO is from. The current prototype is capable of producing 10 litres of water every 24 hours, but they hope that the next iteration will be able to harvest over 100 litres per day, and therefore serve whole communities.
Why you should care
In Kenya, 19 million people still lack access to safe and reliable drinking water. This challenge has been exacerbated by four intense droughts within the last twenty years. Majik Water estimates that there is over six times as much water in the air as there is in all the rivers in the world, and hopes that their technology can help reduce reliance on dwindling groundwater resources.
How the Global Goals are addressed
Good health and wellbeing
Populations without access to clean water often have to rely on stagnant or polluted water sources, which are more likely to carry diseases and other contaminants.
Gender equality
Girls are twice as likely as boys to be burdened with the responsibility of collecting water for families. Nearby sources of clean water can prevent girls from missing schooling.
Clean water and sanitation
Majik Water can help to provide reliable, filtered water in off-grid communities. It can also reduce pressure on shrinking groundwater supplies.
Majik Water
Majik Water was founded by three entrepreneurs in the Global Solutions Program at Singularity University in the Silicon Valley, who were joined by a shared drive to tackle the water crisis in the world’s hardest-hit nations.
Global Goals addressed
