Water is an extremely valuable commodity all over the world, and is only becoming more important as global weather patterns continue to evolve. It is estimated that around 4 billion people globally live under severe water scarcity for at least 1 month a year. Whether a country has enough fresh water sources or ocean water, access to fresh potable water is vital for the survival of people and countries. Israel, once a member of those countries considered water-starved and suffering from frequent droughts has amazingly transformed itself into a water powerhouse, generating enough clean water to even export its surplus to neighboring countries in need, like landlocked Jordan.
How was Israel able to perform this “miracle”? The answer lies in technological innovation, specifically desalination, the removal of salt from seawater making it drinkable by humans and animals. Israel’s ability to take advantage of technology has enabled it to literally make the desert bloom and provide enough water for its citizens, animals and industry.
There is a downside to desalination however, and local research studies confirmed it, namely that desalinated water is missing vital minerals necessary for human health. Israeli HMOs conducted studies starting from 6 years before the introduction of desalinated water until 6 years after and they discovered that there was an increase in the number of strokes and heart attacks.
To rectify this problem different Israeli companies have been tackling the issue. One of them, Mayu, a startup in Northern Israel has taken a multi-step approach. The main piece is to reintroduce important minerals to the drinking water produced, including electrolytes. The company’s filtration device includes 3 steps, purification by filtering, aeration, where the oxygen levels are balanced and mineralization which includes microdosing the water with minerals. The company’s first product, the Mayu Swirl, uses aeration to increase levels of oxygen in the water similar to levels found in natural flowing water and is in some ways similar to the machine that produces bubbles of oxygen in a fish-tank.
Desalination devices and even reverse-osmosis filtration products, long considered the gold standard in water purification, also remove all the beneficial minerals along with the contaminants, producing sub-standard water quality. The Swirl essentially “fixes” the water and has already been sold to 30,000 customers in 70 countries, from Abu Dhabi to the Philippines.
According to the company, an additional benefit to using their system is to decrease our dependence on plastic bottles. Americans alone buy 74 billion water bottles a year, a tremendous source of pollution. Future plans include expansion to Africa where many people do not have access to fresh drinking water at all. Currently there is very little direct competition and the company is planning on rolling out the Swirl 2, a machine that automates the remineralization process. One more step in helping make our world healthier for all, thanks to Israeli know-how.
Source: Israel21C.
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