Our Technology - Awn Nanotech

BIOMIMECRY

AWN Nanotech provides a disruptive, reliable and energy efficient way to generate drinking-quality freshwater to parched areas of the globe and to water-intensive industries by using natural biomimecry of darkling beetles, and thorny devil lizards who can effectively harvest moisture from the air due to their shell/skin surface properties (Comanns, Withers, Esser, & Baumgartner, 2016) (Norgaard & Dacke, 2010). We mimic and boost these properties on a carbon-based nanotextile membrane to allow a better attraction of incoming air-borne water particles and efficient repulsion once they have been extracted. This method of atmospheric water generation has proven to be very energy efficient, durable and scalable.

For more information on the process, watch this video.

This short video gives a simple overview of new findings on the desert moss S. caninervis published in Nature Plants. Credit: USU

NANOTEXTILE

AWN Nanotech membrane at laboratory scale

Our technology is comprised of a carbon-based nanotextile solution that can absorb water vapor from atmosphere and convert it to liquid fresh water. This membrane is semi flexible and can be shaped to fit the need of any client.

Awn’s nanotextile-based atmospheric water generation consumes 20-70 times less energy than the best condensation solutions available in the market. This technology has a very high freshwater extraction volume at less than 0.01 kWh per liter, known as near-zero energy.

Membrane before (A) and after (B-C) nano treatment.
(Hordy, Meunier, & Coulombe, June 2015).

AWN Nanotech membrane laboratory Test