Water From the Air

H2OLL has launched its first complete system for producing water from the air at Wadi Attir, a Bedouin community initiative in the Negev. The project, which started with an idea from Professors Eran Friedler and David Broday, faculty members in the Technion’s Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is in the midst of a crowdfunding campaign that has already raised more than 4 million shekels. The goal of the project is to solve one of the greatest challenges of our time – clean drinking water for all. Dr. Khaled Gommed from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering was also instrumental to the development of the technology.

Within a few years, the idea has turned into an alpha prototype at the Technion. Last week the first complete system was launched at Wadi Attir. The translation of the research into a practical system was made possible by H2OLL, led by Joab Kirsch (CEO), Ilan Katz (CTO), and Oded Distel (VP of Business Development).

According to a 2023 UN report, 3.5 billion people suffer from a lack of clean drinking water for at least one month each year. The issue of access to drinking water appears in many of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN, including realizing every person’s right to clean water, health for all, reducing inequality, and addressing climate change and its consequences. The goal set by the UN is clean water for everyone by 2030.

The water crisis is not limited to the developing world. For example, about 60% of drinking water in Los Angeles is imported, and in Europe, rivers are becoming increasingly polluted. The bottled water market is currently worth $363 billion annually, and H2OLL intends to tap into this huge market, offering a better solution in terms of health, cost, and environmental impact.

The technology developed by Professors Broday and Friedler enables water extraction from the air even in dry and desert areas, while completely blocking chemical and biological contaminants. It is based on adsorption, unlike most companies in the field that operate on direct cooling technology. The difference is dramatic: while water extraction via direct cooling requires at least about 10 grams of water vapor per kilogram of air, H2OLL’s adsorption technology can produce water even when the amount of water vapor in the air is half that – about 5 grams of water vapor per kilogram of air.

The new water system in the Negev

The prototype that was built at the Technion more than four years ago produces 200 liters of water per day. On September 10, the company launched its first full commercial system, which will supply 1,000 liters of water per day in the Negev. The system will operate under the auspices of the Wadi Attir project, and the International Sustainability Laboratory, a non-profit organization based in New York. Wadi Attir, a Bedouin community initiative in the Negev, combines local and global innovation, the production of sustainable food, and education (a school & a learning center), all based on Bedouin tradition and a variety of technologies.

L-R: Ilan Katz, Dr. Khaled Gommed, Ben Gido and Prof. Eran Friedler

After registering a patent, winning prestigious awards, and receiving a special grant from the Innovation Authority and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, H2OLL launched a crowdfunding campaign, raising more than 4 million shekels to date. The goal is to expand international marketing efforts, build the brand, connect the technology to solar energy, and develop a system that will produce about 10,000 liters of water per day. The company’s managers emphasize that the Negev climate is not unique but is similar to the climate in many areas, including the southwestern U.S., northern Mexico, and northern India. The company believes that H2OLL’s technology can help reduce the global water accessibility problem.

At the system’s launch on September 10, speeches were given by Dr. Muhammad Al-Nabari, founding member and co-chairman of the Wadi Attir project management committee, Prof. Eran Friedler from the Technion, and H2OLL CEO Joab Kirsch. The event included a ceremonial “opening of the tap,” distribution of branded bottles to guests, and a guided tour of Wadi Attir.