UAE start-up Manhat is making the most of Cop28 to promote its vision of food and water security with products that generate fresh water without electricity.
“This is an opportunity to meet and network with potential investors, technology providers or NGOs to bring our product to the market,” said Emirati founder Saeed Alhassan, who is also a chemical and petroleum engineering professor at Khalifa University.
The technology Mr Alhassan refers to is an ambitious one.
The device launched by Mr Alhassan last year uses proprietary technology to generate fresh water from the ocean without using electricity, addressing a major hurdle as the Arabian Gulf seeks ways to ensure water and food security, which has historically been problematic given the climate in the region.
"Water basically evaporates from the bottom side," he said, pointing to one of the company's devices.
"And then it goes up and it fills this sphere, and when the night comes and the temperature drops, then the water condenses inside and gets collected in this reservoir here."
"There're a lot of problems with the current desalination method," Mr Alhassan said, referring to the energy-intensive desalination process.
"The brine [in the current process] also collects a lot of contaminants from the water processing because it's in contact with a lot of metal equipment ... and it eventually goes back to the ocean and has an effect on aquatic life," he added, noting that the common reverse osmosis method also has the potential to create pollution.
Manhat is in the process of finding a better price point for its proprietary devices to bring them to the masses, Mr Alhassan said.
"We want to be among the first to break this," he said, referring to the current economic landscape of building, manufacturing and delivering the devices.
"We want to bring this technology to market as soon as we can."
In a lot of the advertising and marketing materials for Manhat, a floating farm is part of the company's vision.
The floating farm was part of one of the company's initial patents filed several years ago, according to Mr Alhassan. It offers a tantalising vision for how Manhat's devices can eventually be used to grow food, even if sea levels continue to rise as a result of global climate change, he said.
"A floating farm will always produce water because you have access to the ocean and you can grow crops in an efficient way," he said.
When the video of Manhat's devices first appeared on social media last year, it generated a buzz on several social platforms, something that Mr Alhassan said is not surprising from a Middle East and North Africa perspective, given the region's historical struggle with water scarcity.
"The water challenge is inherently woven into our imagination," he said.
"I can still remember when family members would go and take water back from the wells in the 1970s and even in the 1980s ... so people appreciate water probably more in this region than they do anywhere else in the world."
Mr Alhassan is optimistic that the levels of curiosity and enthusiasm will help propel Manhat forward, especially as Cop28 reaches a crescendo and the desire for climate solutions ripple forward in the months and years ahead.
He also said that Manhat, which is currently in the design phase for new prototypes to complement the existing water solutions, has resolved previous manufacturing challenges that could pave the way to market for new products.
Manhat is currently in the design phase for new prototypes to complement the existing water solutions, according to Mr Alhassan.
"We're more hopeful than ever," Mr Alhassan said. "We've solved manufacturing and we've solved scalability ... and here at Cop, it's a great meeting point where you have the businesspeople, the technical people and the policymakers."
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
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• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
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8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint
Greenheart Organic Farms
This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.
www.greenheartuae.com
Modibodi
Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.
www.modibodi.ae
The Good Karma Co
From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes.
www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco
Re:told
One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.
www.shopretold.com
Lush
Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store.
www.mena.lush.com
Bubble Bro
Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.
www.bubble-bro.com
Coethical
This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.
www.instagram.com/coethical
Eggs & Soldiers
This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.
www.eggsnsoldiers.com
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Honeymoonish
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