UAE: World’s first drinking water from air launches at Expo 2020 Dubai

The United Arab Emirates based deep-sea drinking water pioneer, Masafi, in partnership with SOURCE Global, launched SOURCE, the world’s first renewable and sustainable bottled water at Expo 2020 Dubai on October 7.

Using SOURCE Global’s patented Hydropanel technology, SOURCE UAE will become the world’s first renewable bottled water. Dani Afiouni, chief commercial officer of Masafi Group told Gulf News that SOURCE water would break ground at local retail stores by mid-2022.

Masafi is using hydro panel to produce water out of air. The hydropanels harvest sunlight to collect water from air — about five litres per day. Once it is stored in the reservoir, the condensed water vapour is filtered and mineralised with magnesium and calcium for drinking.

The treated water vapor comes in a stylish glass bottle that is 100 percent recyclable and refillable, providing sustainable options for still, sparkling, and naturally flavored water. Not only the contents of the bottle leave any carbon footprint behind but the packaging also takes a circular approach.

Along the border between Fujairah and Ras al-Khaimah, the underground wells of the Hajar Mountains are a natural reservoir for drinking water, which Masafi was the first to benefit from. And now the region will witness another record achievement in the UAE – the first water farm in the region and the largest water farm in the world.

However, extracting water from the air is nothing new at Expo 2020 Dubai. There is a vertical farm irrigated by solar-powered Rainmaker in the Netherlands Pavilion, and in the Czech Republic, the pavilion is growing a green lawn on wasteland, using a houseplant solution of water from the air.