Bahrain's humidity could ease water crisis
Manama, March 13, 2014
Bahrain's notorious humidity could finally serve a purpose through innovative technology that transforms moisture into water.
The Canadian product, which is the brainchild of Drinkable Air Technologies, will be given to the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) for testing and consideration, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.
It was displayed at the World Annual Water Sustainability and Food Security Summit yesterday, which was held under the patronage of Minister of State for Electricity and Water Affairs Dr Abdulhussain Mirza.
The conference, at the Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea and Spa, featured 19 delegates from across the world, including Canada and Singapore.
"In a large industrial size unit, the capital expense is about one cent per litre if you have it over five to 10 years," said Drinkable Air Technologies general manager Michael Bourgon.
"The humidity gets pulled in with the air and it goes to the reserve.
"There it hits the ozone and gets hit with an electric charge which purifies it completely.
"The water is then passed through a granulated filter, then a mineral filter where we add the pH back."
He spoke to the GDN on the sidelines of the summit, where he said the machines required minimal maintenance for negligible amounts.
"The largest unit right now is producing 13,000 litres per day at 150 tonne unit," he explained.
"We're doing a project with World Vision Canada in South Africa, supplying a community of 36,000 individuals.
"It's going to take 80 units to produce enough water for those individuals, but it doesn't matter because so long as there's humidity, it will produce."
He said the ideal production point in terms of efficiency is 23 degrees and 25 per cent.
"The speed of producing water depends on the relative humidity and temperature," he added.
"In South Africa, where the humidity 85 per cent and the temperature is 26 degrees, 10 gallon can be achieved in two hours.
"The high temperature in Bahrain will affect the dew point, but it will still work - it will just take a little longer."
Meanwhile, Dr Mirza told the GDN that importance needed to be placed on the sustainability of water.
"People take water for granted, but if we don't control the use and production, we will face shortage one day," he said.
"No one can live without water - it is much more critical to life than oil.
"GCC countries are working strategies for the long term."
He added that Bahrain's annual demand growth rate for water has been between 2.5 per cent and 3.5 per cent over the last few decades and continues to increase.
Canadian Embassy in Saudi Arabia trade programme manager assistant Elham Yassin told the GDN that seven Canadian companies took part in the summit, with four speakers who flew in especially for the event. - TradeArabia News Service
