Abdullah al-Shehi from the United Arab Emirates has shown his worth in environmental technology by patenting his sea-borne water collector that he hopes will help deliver clean water to desert regions across the Middle East and the world. It’s a positive step for the United Arab Emirates, which continues to show itself able to be a leading force in the clean energy and clean technology world. It’s also a solution that could help the region wean itself off energy intensive desalinated water.
al-Shehi’s idea is simple: take airborne moisture and turn it into clean water that is potable and healthy.
For the 31-year-old from Abu Dhabi, who is also involved in creating a green car wash hopes to grab rainwater or dew and then it can be adapted to “float or rest on a body of water above the water.”
In an interview with Khaleej Times, he talked about the massive energy cost as well as economic needs to have desalination projects across the UAE to turn sea water into drinking water.
“The cost involved with desalination is huge as it requires energy. ‘Alma’ can help reduce the cost drastically. An Alma would take up to 20 square miles and it can collect up to 253.6 million liters a month, serving many households in the UAE,” he told the newspaper.
Al-ma means “water” in Arabic.
The Alma invention also comes on the heels of a number of clean water projects in the UAE and according to experts Green Prophet spoke to, Shehi’s mechanism could be a boost for the region as water issues continue to rise and create tension between countries.
The Alma was patented in the United Kingdom via IP Consult, and according to the patent document, “can be anchored to collect airborne moisture such as rain water, dew or mist over water bodies such as seas or lakes. The water thus collected is pure and does not require desalination for commercial usage.”
This was the second time he attempted to have the idea patented, failing in August 2011, but successful this time around.
The patent number in is GB 2493699A.
“This is a unique invention with great potential for countries with poor water resources like the UAE or other regional countries. I am planning to seek investors to commercialize this invention and market it to countries that can benefit from it. As an initial step, we will seek to present it soon to environmental bodies,” Shehi said.
According to the newspaper, he is a trained electrical and electronics engineer with a degree from Huddersfield University in West Yorkshire.
I’ve heard of similar ideas in South America where vegetation growing on nets traps the moisture off of the remaining coastal breezes heading towards the inland deserts. It sounds viable and I certainly hope he is successful to the nth degree. We need people that think outside the box and to pursue their dreams.