Harvesting humidity:
A sustainable solution
for a water-stressed
world
G
lobal warming and
industrialization are rapidly
depleting the world’s
supply of fresh water. The looming
water shortage was identified at
the 2015 World Economic Forum
as the number one global risk,
with profound effects on health,
education and the economy.
Dr. Majid Bahrami, Canada Research Chair in
Alternative Energy Conversion Systems at Simon
Fraser University, feels strongly about the need
to address the global water crisis. At the same
time, as a former HVAC and refrigeration industry
engineer and consultant, he also values real-
world problems as teaching opportunities.
Over the past three years, the Mechatronics
Systems Engineering professor and his PhD
student Farshid Bagheri have been working
to find a viable, sustainable solution for water
scarcity. Their answer is the Hybrid Atmospheric
Water Generator (HAWgen), a green, reliable,
low-cost system that generates clean, drinkable
water from the atmosphere.
“Our atmosphere contains nearly 13 trillion cubic
meters of renewable fresh water,” Dr. Bahrami
explains. “This water is sustainable—no matter
how much you extract, it is automatically replaced
because of evaporation from our oceans.”
Unlike conventional atmospheric water
generators, which rely on hot and humid
ambient environments, or other water treatment
technologies that require “feedstocks” (such
as water) to function, and produce caustic
byproducts, the HAWgen can generate potable
water in nearly all climatic conditions, without the
environmental impact of traditional systems.
“In desert environments, or in regions where
humidity goes below a certain degree,
conventional atmospheric water generator
machines stop working,” he says. “Our machine
is a quantum leap because it works under a dry
climate, doesn’t require feedstocks, and can be
powered by sustainable energy sources.”
March 2016
Concerned about global water scarcity, Simon Fraser University’s Majid Bahrami (left), and PhD student
Farshid Bagheri, developed a Hybrid Atmospheric Water Generator (HAWgen) that draws on atmospheric
humidity to create water. Powered by sustainable energy sources such as solar or waste heat, their
novel technology produces clean, drinkable water even in environments too hot and dry for conventional
atmospheric water generators.
The HAWgen uses a three-step process: first
the incoming air stream is pre-conditioned using
an adsorption system; then it is channeled into
a refrigeration unit for condensation. The final
stage filters the generated water, including
ultraviolet treatment, producing pure, safe
water.
The technology creates its own ambient humid
environment by absorbing moisture through
highly porous materials that then releases the
humidity into the machine. “There is always a
hot air stream coming into our condensing unit
instead of ambient air, and this results in huge
improvements in water generation capacity,”
Dr. Bahrami explains. “It’s like a battery for
humidity, in the sense that it dampens incoming
air, creating a consistently humid ambient air
stream.”
Their pre-market prototype generates 40 litres
of water a day over 24 hours, which is 500%
more than conventional systems, at one-third
the operating cost. This prototype is powered
by electricity but they have developed a
renewable energy version that can operate
under solar thermal power or waste heat from
co-generation.
Designed with the help of CMC-enabled
software and simulation tools such as COMSOL
and ANSYS FLUENT, and developed in Dr.
Bahrami’s Laboratory for Alternative Energy
Conversion, the system has just completed its
performance testing, the professor says.
The HAWgen forms the basis of WATERGENICS
Inc., an SFU spinout and Dr. Bahrami’s newest
commercial venture, with scaleup and commercial
launch of the product expected in the next 12-18
months. In addition to consumer use, the
company is targeting applications in mining,
agriculture, oil, gas, energy and manufacturing,
as well as in military field operations and
disaster relief.
The next hurdle is getting the technology into the
hands of users, he says. Interest has already
been expressed by potential customers in the
agriculture and mining industries, and by at least
one African country.
The technology is one of many clean innovations
developed by Dr. Bahrami and his students. In
November his work in sustainable technologies
was honoured with a 2016 Canada Clean 50
Award (Research and Development category).
The awards recognize Canadian individuals or
teams who have advanced sustainability and
clean capitalism in Canada over the past two
years.
“We are blessed in Canada with an abundance of
water, but we don’t have to go far to see people
suffering,” he says. “If I as an inventor can do
something to help alleviate the pain a bit, this
would be great. It’s an exciting time for us.” cmc
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