Logistics: Getting Water From Thin Air

Archives

November 1, 2006: In a major logistics breakthrough, a U.S. company, Aqua Sciences, has developed a system that can extract water out of the air, even if the humidity is as low as 14 percent. It does this using salts, and can produce water for less than a dollar a gallon. The system currently available is contained in a twenty foot long tractor trailer unit, and turns out 600 gallons a day. Why is this a major logistics breakthrough? Because in dry climates, about a third of the supply tonnage moved to American troops consists of water. And the movement alone costs up to $40 a gallon, depending on how bad the roads, or security situation, is. So each Aqua Sciences unit would save thousands of dollars a day in logistics costs for units in hard-to-reach areas. There are larger water extraction units, that can be moved by flat bed truck, that are even more efficient, producing much more water, for as low as 30 cents a gallon. Troops in hot climates require over 20 gallons a day per person (for all uses.) In most cases it will still be cheaper to move water by truck, or purify local sources. But in very dry areas, without wells or rivers, the new water extraction gear will solve a major logistics problem.

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close