Ferriday— New technology is taking the humidity out of the air and putting it a cup.

Keith Isbell, Ray Goodwin and Ronnie Goodwin are local distributors of atmospheric water generators by EcoloBlue that draw humidity out of the air, send it through a filtration process and in the end produce drinking water.

“This machine is really three machines in one,” Isbell said. “Its an air purifier, a dehumidifier and a water cooler, all at the same time.”

EcoloBlue technology, popular in Europe and beginning to gain followers in the United States, is a more environmentally friendly way of producing water than plastic water bottles or commercial water coolers, Isbell said.

Isbell learned about the technology after hearing a radio commercial about the units.

“I was immediately interested in learning more about it,” he said.

The Goodwins learned about the technology from Isbell and were excited to be a part of distributing the units.

The water producing machines come in various sizes from small home or office units for drinking water to large units suitable for disaster assistance or providing water for all household uses.

“This is one of the newest and best forms of green technology developed,” he said.

Humidity from the air forms water droplets on the special food-contact-grade-coated coils on the interior of the machine, which are collected in a lower storage tank. From there the water is pushed through a first carbon filter that removes ammonia, chlorine residues, organic compounds and more.

Then the water is moved to a UV filter that stops contamination and growth of microorganisms. The next stop for the water is a pre-carbon filter that further removes contamination from organic compounds and heavy metals.

A final push through the reverse osmosis filter and a mineral filter that adds healthy minerals to the drinking results in water that exceeded all Environmental Protection Agency standards for water purity.

“People who are skeptical say they aren’t sure about drinking water that comes from the air because they don’t know what’s in the air, but what they don’t realize when they say that is as they were talking they were breathing that same air in,” Ray Goodwin said. “And we don’t have multi-stage filtering process to clean the air we breathe.”

The air-to-water technology is efficient at producing water at humidity levels as low as 35 percent.

“(The unit) will still make water at lower humidity levels, just not as fast,” Isbell said. “Locally, the humidity level should never really be a problem. The higher the humidity the faster the water is produced.”

Drinking water is moved between a lower storage tank and an upper storage tank to prevent the water from becoming stagnant, Ray Goodwin said.

The smallest unit, the EcoloBlue 28, produces approximately seven gallons of water a day. The units produce both cold and hot water “with just the touch of a button.” The hot water feature is safety-locked to prevent unintended use.

“If it is being used for drinking water and to make coffee, just normal day-to-day uses, it produces more than enough water for an office or home,” Isbell said. “It is constantly working to produce more water.”

Ray Goodwin said the costs associated with the EcoloBlue cooler is much lower than buying bottled water or purchasing commercially distributed water bottles.

“The cheapest gallon of water you can buy at (a grocery store) is 89 cents,” he said. “With this machine, water costs you about 10 cent a gallon.”

Isbell said maintenance on the machines is minimal and simple to complete. He said the only regular maintenance involved is changing the air filter twice a year.

“It is an appliance and has the lifespan that you’d expect from a refrigerator or other appliance,” he said. “Basically, as long as you leave it alone, it is going to last.”

For more information on the EcoloBlue technology contact Isbell at 601-635-5204, Ray Goodwin at 318-715-3073 or Ronnie Goodwin at 601-807-4345.