Green Tech Pumps Water From Air At CES
The annual gadget show CES showcases its eco-friendly side with technology aimed at fighting climate change and even pumping clean water into the air.
As calls to fight climate change grow, technology companies are finding ways to help, said organizers of the Consumer Electronics Show, which ends Friday in Las Vegas.
Genesis Systems came to the event with the WaterCube, the first of its kind, the size of a central AC unit, which pumps water from the air so efficiently that it can supply all the water a home needs.
“Our first mission is to provide a sustainable solution to global water scarcity,” said David Stockenberg , founder of Genesis with his wife, Shannon.
"Once you turn it on in your house... you can turn off the city water."
When wells and reservoirs run dry, the Watercube can extract water from the air using its unique mechanism, he explained.
Stackenberg said the decision to become a "water entrepreneur" arose from farmers' complaints about wells drying up in the Middle East and serving in the US military as countries there searched for valuable new water sources.
"The challenges we face in sustaining humanity are the things we need to live," he told AFP.
“After air, water is the most important.”
Billions of tons of unused water are in the air, and one consequence of a warming earth is increased water vapor in the atmosphere, Stackenberg said.
Water quickly fills the air, creating an “infinite spring” that utilizes water cubes for measurement, he explained.
“We are democratizing water supply,” Stackenberg said.
His Florida-based company is also working to incorporate carbon sensing features into the WaterCube, as one of the process steps already involves drying the air stream, he said.
- Marine Media Monitor -
Small companies like Molluscan from France are present at CES with their innovative approach to environmental protection.
MolluScan targets mussels or sea shells with sensors to detect pollution in waterways or oceans and shares the results with companies or regulators, saving time and money on water sampling.
“The industry is under pressure to improve the environment,” Molluscan co-founder Ludovic Quineau told AFP.
According to Quinault, a mollusk-based pollution detector, known as Molluscan-Eye, has been used in the Arctic, Tahiti and elsewhere.
Companies at CES touted the emergence of products made from recycled or eco-friendly materials and energy-saving features, as well as more efficient batteries and solar power generation systems.
French automotive equipment supplier Fourvia explains how they use hemp, wood, pineapple and other organic materials in their designs.
Meanwhile, Britain's Matter, backed by Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Ashton Kutcher, is pioneering filtration technology to prevent the dangerous flow of tiny plastic fibers commonly dumped into washing machine wastewater.
Ambient Photonics, whose initial investors include the Amazon Climate Commitment Fund, demonstrated solar cells that can be charged from indoor lighting, eliminating the need for batteries in devices.
“Connected electronics require constant power, which often comes from disposable or rechargeable batteries,” said Bates Marshall, CEO of Photonics.
South Korean organization SK Group dedicated its exhibition to demonstrating how environmentally friendly technologies can create a happier future.
Visitors can ride a hydrogen-powered train or take a “magic carpet ride” in an environmentally friendly energy car powered by artificial intelligence.
The dominant telecommunications, chip and energy company's idea is to encourage others in the industry to join in the goal of becoming carbon neutral, said Ah Choi at SK Booth.
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