Frequently Asked Questions about Atmospheric Water Generation

Atmospheric water generators (AWGs) have been available to consumers since the turn of the century. However, they have yet to become commonplace enough that their basic functions, abilities, advantages, and flaws are widely understood. Similarly, the potential of the atmospheric water generation process for addressing the ever-growing global water crisis isn’t often discussed. If the atmospheric water generation process is engineered to avoid its longstanding flaws, it can potentially transform an unlimited resource into water at high enough volumes to aid the global communities most in need, but few environmentalists are well-versed in the subject.

Below, we answer the most frequently asked questions we receive about AWGs.

1. What is an AWG?

An atmospheric water generator is a machine that uses temperature gradients or thermoelectric processes to transform ambient humidity from the air into drinkable water.

2. How does atmospheric water generation work?

The process of AWG involves cooling the air to temperatures at which water vapor condenses into liquid. When the air reaches a temperature known as the dew point, the air becomes fully saturated with water. When the air’s temperature is lowered below the dew point, there is no room left for the air to store water in its vapor form, so the water condensates.

3. How humid does it have to be for an AWG to work?

Although the AWG process can occur at any level of humidity above zero percent, the process is substantially more challenging to execute at humidity levels below 35 percent. Above 50 percent humidity, the AWG process is especially easy to stimulate.

4. Are AWGs dependent on the weather and the environment?

The weather and the environment have strong effects on the AWG process. The humidity in desert climates, for example, rarely exceeds 25 percent, making the prospect of atmospheric water generation far more challenging. Furthermore, as temperatures decrease, so too does the volume of water that air contains.

However, at Oxydus, we conduct AWG not inside machines, but in factories. In these larger settings, we can directly control the environment, achieving ideal humidity and temperature settings for a maximum output of water. This means that water can be consistently generated at any time of the year, around the clock, in any part of the world.

5. What are the advantages of atmospheric water generation?

Atmospheric water generation does not disturb the global water supply. Since air is an unlimited resource, atmospheric water generation poses little to no environmental burden.

The AWGs developed in the past two decades successfully generate water without any connections to existing water sources. However, many of these AWGs are only capable of producing small quantities of water, thereby making them inefficient solutions for combating the ever-growing global water crisis. They can also struggle to work in low-humidity settings, and since the average home hovers around 15 percent humidity, in-home units are often quite inefficient. Not only that, but not every location on earth has high humidity, severely limiting placement of these machines. Standard AWGs also fail to filter contaminants from the water they generate, meaning that even though they generate water, they don’t provide pure water.

At Oxydus, our AWG factories improve on AWG’s inherent flaws. Without impacting the world’s natural water sources, our factories bring air into ideal humidity and temperature settings, in which water output reaches its maximum. We run our water through a series of state-of-the-art filters to ensure that our factories provide safe, clean water directly from the source. Our controlled settings allow us to generate tens of thousands of liters of water every day from any locale, no matter the atmospheric conditions in that place.

6. How much water does the average AWG produce?

The average AWG produces just a handful of gallons of water per day. At Oxydus, our AWG factories can produce 20,000 liters (more than 5,000 gallons) of water per day.

7. How much does it cost to run an AWG?

Some AWGs require a combination of solar, thermal, and electric energy for proper powering, resulting in high operating costs. Our AWG factories are entirely solar powered, so after the initial cost of solar panel installation, there is no energy cost. In the long run, AWG factories save large sums of energy costs.

8. Where is the generated water stored?

In traditional AWGs, the water is stored inside the machine without first passing through filters and decontaminants. Our AWG factories store water in nanotechnology-powered tanks after passing water through a series of state-of-the-art filters.

9. How do you know the water produced by an AWG is clean?

With an average AWG, there’s no guarantee that the water generated is clean. The AWGs of the past two decades don’t in any way filter the water they generate, which leaves contaminants in the final product.

At Oxydus, we conduct AWG in factories that include state-of-the-art filtration systems. After our factories generate water, we run the water through these filters to ensure that our water is 100% pure before we add minerals back into it to meet local government regulations.

10. Is AWG water the same as regular water?

AWG water differs from tap and bottled water in that governments don’t regulate it the same way. Government agencies determine the acceptable amounts of dissolved solids, contaminants, and other substances allowed in tap and bottled water. Since modern AWG machines tend to be owned by communities or private entities, there is no guarantee that the water they make is the same as regular water, especially because average AWG machines don’t treat the water they generate.

At Oxydus, our AWG factories generate water that matches the standards that local governments set. We treat all water we generate with state-of-the-art filters that eliminate all contaminants. We then add minerals back to the water in the exact quantities that local governments demand. In this way, the water that our AWG factories generate is exactly the same as regular water.

11. How much energy does it take to produce generated water?

AWGs can use significant amounts of energy -- just look at a standard window air conditioning unit to understand. The condensation that drips from your air conditioner when it runs is a byproduct of the AWG process. Air conditioner use can drive electric bills well beyond their costs during cooler seasons, as can AWG use. At Oxydus, our AWG factories are entirely solar powered, minimizing their energy burden and costs.

12. Is it harmful to the environment to take moisture from the air?

It is not harmful to the environment to take moisture from the air. The earth’s air supply is essentially infinite, so taking moisture from the air is far less harmful to the earth than relying on the limited volume available in groundwater and surface water sources.

13. How is AWG water distributed?

Traditional AWG water is often dispensed right from the source, without any filtration or other treatment. At Oxydus, after our water is filtered and treated, we package it into entirely biodegradable plastic bottles that we distribute to the communities most in need.

14. What is the carbon footprint of AWG?

Traditional AWGs can exert a massive carbon footprint. They demand high amounts of energy and are often electrically powered, meaning that carbon dioxide is emitted into the environment to produce the energy on which AWGs run. At Oxydus, our AWG factories are entirely solar-powered, resulting in a zero carbon footprint for our water generation processes.

15. Can AWGs add the minerals found in tap water to generated water?

Standard AWGs have no way of monitoring mineral content as government bodies mandate. At Oxydus, our AWG factories include the employees and equipment necessary to evaluate and add minerals into generated water in the exact quantities that regional governments mandate.

16. How are Oxydus AWG factories different than traditional AWGs?

Oxydus AWG factories are entirely unlike traditional AWGs. In our completely-contained and controlled setting, we can achieve the ideal temperature and humidity settings for maximum atmospheric water generation output.

Once our factories convert atmospheric humidity into water, we pass this water through a series of state-of-the-art filters that fully decontaminate and purify it. We then add minerals back into this pure water to match the quality guidelines of local governments. Once our water is filtered and treated with minerals, we package it in fully biodegradable water bottles that we ship to the communities most in need. Extra bottles sold to distributors, grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, and other stores creates a healthy stream of revenue.

Our factories, which are entirely solar-powered and emissions-free, can generate 20,000 liters of water in one day. Since they can be built anywhere and provide far greater volumes of water than traditional AWGs do, they are today’s most radical, forward-thinking solutions to the global water crisis.

To turn our vision for AWG factories into a reality, we’re asking people all over the world to help us fund our factories. Click here to visit the Oxydus Wefunder page and learn how you can contribute to a permanent infrastructure that could help to provide clean water for all.