Virginia Company is marketing devices that can pull clean drinking water from the air using technology that was jointly developed at the University of Maryland.

The units, sold by Leesburg-based Excel Holdings, work in much the same way as dehumidifiers. However, the focus is shifted from producing dry air to producing clean water. The unit draws in air, first filtering it to remove dust and particulates. Then the filtered air is chilled, causing the water vapor to condense. The water is then filtered further so that it can be safely consumed by humans. The average cost per liter of water produced is about 3 cents, according to Excel Holdings.

The smallest unit that Excel Holdings is marketing, called the Water Finder, can produce up to five gallons of water a day. A larger industrial model, named the Aquasphere, can make a thousand times as much. Performance varies depending on the temperature and relative humidity.

Excel Holdings has secured five exclusive licensing agreements with the University of Maryland’s Office of Technology Commercialization to further develop, market and test the device.

Reinhart Radermacher, professor of mechanical engineering and director and co-founder of the Center for Environmental Energy Engineering at Maryland, led the development of the technology as director of research and development for Excel Holdings. University faculty co-developed the technology, optimizing the water production rate and decreasing the energy consumption of the water extraction devices.

The company is focusing on selling the units globally in places without reliable access to drinking water. The company is not at liberty to say how much the individual units will cost to consumers, as sales negotiations are still under way, Radermacher says. –MB