Atmospheric Water Generation

⚠ Disclaimer: This section may contain incomplete, out of date, or inaccurate entries. It is AI-maintained on a best-effort basis. Do not rely on it as a sole source — verify claims independently using the source materials listed in individual entries.

Overview

This section tracks technologies for generating fresh water from atmospheric humidity — primarily sorbent-based atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) — and the companies commercializing them for arid-region and off-grid deployment. The field traces back to foundational MOF water-uptake research from Omar Yaghi’s lab at UC Berkeley, whose 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for MOF development has accelerated commercial interest.

Key Themes

  • Sorbent materials engineered for sharp water uptake at low relative humidity (as low as 20%) and easy release under modest heating
  • Passive/ambient-energy water release (solar heating, waste heat) as an alternative to energy-intensive refrigerant condensation
  • Commercialization path from academic MOF research to containerized industrial hardware
  • Applications in controlled-environment agriculture, off-grid/emergency water supply, and arid-region infrastructure

Companies

Startups & Development Partners

Company HQ Stage Mission
Atoco Irvine (Orange County), CA, USA Private Commercializes Omar Yaghi’s reticular-chemistry MOF research for atmospheric water harvesting and carbon capture; on-grid and off-grid AWH systems targeting late-2026 commercial rollout.
WaHa Fremont, CA, USA Private (Series A-1, $8M, Jul 2025) Founded 2018 by Omar Yaghi; heat-pump-driven regeneration engine compatible with silica gel, SAPO-34, and MOF desiccants; recapitalized under new leadership, first commercial unit unveiled Sep 2025.
Uravu Labs Bengaluru, India Private (Seed, $2.3M+) Liquid-desiccant AWH; pivoting from hospitality drinking-water units to “Clausius,” a water-positive cooling platform for AI data centers using server waste heat.

Public Companies

Ticker Company Mission
AIRJ AirJoule Technologies Sorbent/MOF-based AWH and dehumidification; PNNL-licensed technology; 50/50 joint ventures with GE Vernova (Americas/Africa/Australia) and CATL 🇨🇳 (Asia); Carrier and BASF partnerships.

Incumbents

No large diversified incumbents are yet directly active in sorbent-based atmospheric water harvesting; condensation-based atmospheric water generator (AWG) companies such as Watergen, SOURCE Global, and Genesis Systems use older refrigerant-condensation technology and are tracked as market context rather than detailed entries, consistent with this section’s focus on sorbent/desiccant-based approaches.

Entries

  • MOF-801 — zirconium-fumarate metal-organic framework material behind the leading AWH approach; sharp water uptake at low humidity, low-temperature regeneration
  • Atoco — Omar Yaghi-founded company commercializing MOF-based atmospheric water harvesting and carbon capture
  • AirJoule Technologies — NASDAQ-listed (AIRJ) PNNL-licensed sorbent AWH platform; GE Vernova and CATL 🇨🇳 joint ventures
  • WaHa — Fremont, CA; also Omar Yaghi-founded (2018); heat-pump desiccant regeneration engine, now under new leadership
  • Uravu Labs — Bengaluru liquid-desiccant AWH, pivoting toward data center water-positive cooling

Entries

  • AirJoule Technologies — NASDAQ-listed (AIRJ) sorbent-based atmospheric water harvesting company; MOF/desiccant technology exclusively licensed from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, commercialized through a 50/50 joint venture with GE Vernova.
  • Atoco — Irvine, CA-based climate tech company founded by Nobel laureate Omar Yaghi, commercializing MOF-based atmospheric water harvesting (on-grid and off-grid systems) and carbon capture.
  • MOF-801 — Zirconium-fumarate metal-organic framework engineered for atmospheric water harvesting; sharp water uptake at relative humidity as low as 20% and easy release with a 40°C temperature swing.
  • Uravu Labs — Bengaluru, India-based liquid-desiccant atmospheric water company, founded 2017/2019, that has pivoted from hospitality drinking-water units toward 'water-positive cooling' for AI data centers under its Clausius platform.
  • WaHa — Fremont, CA-based atmospheric water generation company (formerly Water Harvesting Inc.), originally founded in 2018 by Omar Yaghi to commercialize UC Berkeley MOF patents; now built around a heat-pump-driven solid-desiccant regeneration engine.