H20, it is colorless and odorless but taste does matter when it comes to purified water and that is what sent us investigating our next story. It is about water falling from the sky and today 7NEWS got a taste of the real sky juice.
Keith Swift Reporting,
What is the difference between these two five-gallon bottles of water? Its hard to tell by just looking but this one came from a river somewhere and this one...........well it came from the air.
We got the river water from the store but the air or humidified water came from this address on Mopan Street in Belize City. There is no reservoir, no river, and no large production facility there. In fact all they have in the yard is this machine valued at US$120,000. It's called an atmospheric water generator. It sounds complex but co-manager Walter Brown says they are using old technology in a new way. He says to think of it as a massive air conditioning unit.
Walter Brown,
"What it is its new technology but if I could simplify it for you if you look at the air conditioner, you will see that it purify the air, it makes the air cool, but what does it do with the water? It wastes the water. What we have done here and what the research and development people have done is they have decided we can use that same technology to better benefit and we are told by the scientists that there is trillions of gallons of water in the atmosphere that we are not using.
It takes the humidity and it converts from humidity the water. What it does is there is as you can see we have to filter the air to make sure there is no particles and then it goes on to the coils. The coils then produce the water with the compressor. We save the water in a drip pan and then we treat the water with the filters.
If we use the water, it will make some more as long as the machine is running. However, if we do not use all that water, every two hours it will go through that cycle and it will always give you clean pure drinking water."
A large unit like the one operating on Mopan Street can produce about 700 gallons of water per day. And on a day like today - when the humidity is high - it can probably produce more.
Walter Brown,
"These machines are mobile and I think in terms of hurricanes when we don't have water, I think this is the ideal thing to make sure we have it."
Brown and his business partner Ted Dowse have no immediately plans to expand nationally. They are marketing these mini atmospheric units. The companies also retail to customers like Christian Whyte who we met today filling up two 5 gallon bottles.
Ted Dowse,
"What we do is probably produce the finest drinking water that you can produce."
Christian Whyte, Customer
"I tried this water and I just keep coming back 'cause the water is good. The taste is unique. The water is very good."
And while this is water from air, believe me that doesn't make it any lighter!!
The atmospheric generators were manufactured in Canada but Belize is incredibly the first country they are being used in. The small units are available from Courts Belize or at Wataire's Depot on Mopan Street. If you want your 5 gallon of purified air water, all you need is $3 and an empty bottle.
