Gadget That Makes Water From Air Rolls Off Production Line

Is it just a dehumidifier?

July 15, 2003

THAT seemingly magical apparatus that makes water from thin air has started rolling off the production line in Singapore.

The pace will soon hit 1,000 units a month, said the manufacturer of the apparatus, Hyflux, on Tuesday.

Over time, the rate will quicken as contract manufacturers appointed in markets such as China start production, chief executive officer Olivia Lum told The Straits Times.

The water-treatment specialist, which is also developing Singapore's first desalination plant, has received orders and down payment for 20,000 units.

More than a hundred units will soon be on their way to a distributor in Malaysia, which has ordered 10,000 units. Another 100-plus units are now on a ship headed for Australia.

In Singapore, the so-called Aquosus, whose tank capacity is 19 litres, is going for S$1,899. A five-litre version, targeted for home use, will be available from November for below S$800.

The Aquosus - which takes in air, chills the vapour into water and purifies it - is quenching the thirst of clients and visitors at places as diverse as Orix Car Rentals in Bukit Batok, Raffles The Plaza hotel in the city and IE Singapore in Victoria Street.

In January, Hyflux paid US$1 million (S$1.76 million) for a 2-per-cent stake in a United States company, Air 2 Water, which owns the patent for making water from air.

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