Milton disrupted the flow of drinking water — so Florida deployed a machine to harvest water from the air

David Stuckenberg, co-founder and chief executive officer at Genesis Systems, explains that WaterCube uses proprietary solid and liquid sorbents—water-absorbing materials—that essentially “form a handshake with water.” in the air”. The machine then heats these materials to separate the water.

Atmospheric water generators typically require a significant amount of energy to operate, but Stuckenberg claims the company’s materials perform 400% better than those currently on the market, and they have a very strong affinity for water. high with water.

But this technology comes at a very high price. The WaterCube was delivered to St. Petersburg costs $860,000. The company just started selling a second, smaller device for homes called the WaterCube 100, which retails for $20,000 and is about the size of an HVAC system. That device can produce about 100 to 200 gallons of water per day. Efficiency ranges from 0.07 to 0.8 kilowatt hours per gallon of water and operating costs range from $10 to $80 a day, depending on energy costs and humidity. WaterCube can run on solar energy or conventional energy.

The machine produces more water in humid environments and works well in air humidity down to 40%. Stuckenberg said the company is constantly improving the technology and is working with the US Department of Defense to be able to create water at 10% humidity.

The WaterCube connects to the building’s water supply so there is no need to draw water directly from the tap. “These systems are designed to connect to everything from garden hoses to hospital water systems and provide water that goes through four filtration steps before leaving,” Stuckenberg said.

After Hurricane Mawar hit the US territory of Guam in May 2023, Genesis Systems partnered with the US Air Force to test the WaterCube 1000 in an island disaster response scenario.

At their current price and the amount of water they can produce, these devices are unlikely to become the sole source of water supply in situations like this any time soon. According to Data published by the US Department of EnergyA hospital the size of All Children’s typically uses between 10,000 and 90,000 gallons per day, depending on the services provided, the age of the building, and water usage. This is much larger than the 2,000 gallons that the larger Genesis Systems unit can produce in 24 hours.

However, in cases where water cannot be immediately recovered or transported to an area, these devices can serve as a bridge or additional water source. But to be useful, they need to be in the right place at the right time, and the logistics of moving the 18,000-pound machine in a disaster situation can be difficult.

According to a hospital spokesperson, All Children’s does not need to draw water from the device; Immediately after delivery, the city’s sewer system was operating normally and water service resumed with a boil water notice. “We may modify our operations accordingly,” a spokesperson said on Friday. Over the weekend, the Florida AHCA moved the WaterCube to a shelter where it can be quickly moved to another location if needed.