Dubai-based MAZ Gulf has joined hands with WaterMicronWorld, a leading supplier of flow innovation technology (FIT) water generators, to set up an assembly plant in the UAE emirate for a pioneering sustainable water generation system.

The new system has been designed as a practical and economical solution to the global problem of water scarcity, said the Dubai company in a statement.

It expects to begin assembly of units for the international market from Jebel Ali Free Zone next year.

Developed and patented by WaterMicronWorld, the FIT method, described by the manufacturers as the world’s most eco-friendly water generation system, is much cheaper and far more productive than existing water generation technology.

It is expected to change the face of water generation worldwide. Customers for the plants in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) will be national water authorities seeking an effective, economical and sustainable water solution.

The two companies believe the partnership will introduce the next billion-dollar industry to the Middle East and Africa, a region facing the world’s most serious water shortage problems.

“This is a breakthrough in the search for sustainable solutions to water shortage globally as a result of shrinking ice caps and lakes due to global warming, and increasing demands,” remarked Miran Ellahee, the chief executive of MAZ Gulf, a green energy consultancy.  

“It has the capacity to generate water in any part of the world, irrespective of the climate. From a business perspective, we believe we are at the forefront of the next billion-dollar industry,” he added.

"FIT technology generates water from the air and is therefore carbon neutral. It will be of particular interest in the UAE, which is urgently seeking solutions to the problem of water scarcity," he added.

In March, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, issued a law establishing the UAE Water Aid Foundation. Annexed to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), it is tasked with finding sustainable solutions to water shortage through use of solar energy.

Francisco Rodriguez, CEO of WaterMicronWorld, said: "FIT water generation plants have major advantages over methods such as desalination or reverse osmosis which use existing water sources to clean water. They require a vast capital outlay and cause their own environmental problems. Dumping salt produced in desalination back into the sea affects the ecology of marine life."

“FIT technology is also cheaper and can produce much larger volumes of water than AWGs (atmospheric water generators), which have been in existence for a number of years but are effective only in areas of high humidity. The largest capacity AWGs produce no more than 5,000 litres per day,” he added.

According to Rodriguez, these can generate up to 10 million litres of water per day, and do it much more cheaply than desalination or reverse osmosis.

"The cost of producing water using FIT based on a 10-million-litre-per-day plant is $0.0006 per litre or $0.60 cents per cu m. By comparison, Dewa currently charges customers $0.0025 per litre or $2.50 per cu m," he pointed out.

“We expect the MEA to be a lucrative market for us,” said Rodriguez. “FIT does not generate water from humidity, so is not only effective in hot humid climates. Whether in the South Pole, the desert, rain forest or the plains of Africa, our plants will effectively produce water,” he added.

Since launching FIT water generation plants in the Far East late last year, WaterMicronWorld has won multi-million dollar orders from Petronas and the Government of Indonesia.-TradeArabia News Service