> How It Works
Every water desalination process in the world uses pressure – except Mother Nature. Nature desalinates seawater at ambient pressure – naturally, of course, using solar energy. Reverse osmosis uses high pressure to force salt water through membranes, using costly electricity. Other processes, like conventional thermal distillation used around the globe, also use pressure differentials to desalinate water. But nature never has, and that is what inspired AltelaRain®, the only low-cost water desalination product that doesn’t use pressure. Because of this breakthrough, AltelaRain® doesn’t require any expensive pressure vessels, pumps, valves or huge amounts of expensive electricity or man-made chemicals.
Inspired by nature: A 4.5 billion-year-old model
From the ocean, a birth of a cloud
Solar energy naturally evaporates clean distilled water from undrinkable saltwater in the ocean. Clouds form as this humid air mass is forced higher up the mountain into colder temperatures, causing the clean water vapor to naturally condense as small cloud-forming water droplets. Without using any electricity or filters, nature effortlessly desalinates brackish ocean water continuously, in the first step of the two-step hydrologic cycle – separation of clean water from its salts, using just air as the separation medium and low-grade evaporative heat from the sun. View PDF of "A process inspired by nature" handout.
Rain
In the second step of the hydrologic cycle, nature condenses clean water vapor from the cloud into rain when the air rises and the temperature becomes too cold for the air mass to hold the water in vapor form any longer. The resulting rain is distilled water, purified by nature, made using just air and nature’s temperature gradient from sea level to mountaintop.
AltelaRain®: Treating water naturally.
AltelaRain® mimics nature’s hydrologic cycle exactly, but brings the two-step process closer together physically. Why? Because it uses nature’s third gift to full advantage as well: the fact that the second condensation step gives off the same amount of low-grade heat energy as is required in the first evaporation step. The AltelaRain® process reuses this energy over and over again, naturally. Without pumps or motors that wear out, Altela’s process makes 3 gallons of clean water from the heat energy that would usually only make 1 gallon – through 300% energy-re-use – thus making Altela both a clean-tech energy and water purification company. Energy-reuse reduces even further the already low operating cost of AltelaRain®. Treating water naturally – but using smart technology to improve on even Mother Nature. Now that’s something new under the sun. And it’s all in the effort to help you convert your water liabilities into clean water assets.
Inspired by nature: A 4.5 billion-year-old model
From the ocean, a birth of a cloudSolar energy naturally evaporates clean distilled water from undrinkable saltwater in the ocean. Clouds form as this humid air mass is forced higher up the mountain into colder temperatures, causing the clean water vapor to naturally condense as small cloud-forming water droplets. Without using any electricity or filters, nature effortlessly desalinates brackish ocean water continuously, in the first step of the two-step hydrologic cycle – separation of clean water from its salts, using just air as the separation medium and low-grade evaporative heat from the sun. View PDF of "A process inspired by nature" handout.
RainIn the second step of the hydrologic cycle, nature condenses clean water vapor from the cloud into rain when the air rises and the temperature becomes too cold for the air mass to hold the water in vapor form any longer. The resulting rain is distilled water, purified by nature, made using just air and nature’s temperature gradient from sea level to mountaintop.
AltelaRain®: Treating water naturally.
AltelaRain® mimics nature’s hydrologic cycle exactly, but brings the two-step process closer together physically. Why? Because it uses nature’s third gift to full advantage as well: the fact that the second condensation step gives off the same amount of low-grade heat energy as is required in the first evaporation step. The AltelaRain® process reuses this energy over and over again, naturally. Without pumps or motors that wear out, Altela’s process makes 3 gallons of clean water from the heat energy that would usually only make 1 gallon – through 300% energy-re-use – thus making Altela both a clean-tech energy and water purification company. Energy-reuse reduces even further the already low operating cost of AltelaRain®. Treating water naturally – but using smart technology to improve on even Mother Nature. Now that’s something new under the sun. And it’s all in the effort to help you convert your water liabilities into clean water assets.