In California, NexLoop, a biomimicry venture, is conducting the next phase of pilot tests for its AquaWeb system which collects water from fog and air, stores it, and distributes it for watering plants for example. The system used nature to come up with the design, basing the water collection on the cribellate orb weaver spider webs, the storage idea on the approach used by drought-tolerant succulents to hold onto water, and the distribution method on how certain mycorrhizal funghi distribute water to the entire plant structure. The system can be used in container farms and indoor vertical farms. As for next steps for NexLoop, they will look at how materials and fabrics affect how much water can be collected and how climate affects it.
C. Mike Lindsey, one of the project partners told GreenBiz “We have tons of people who are excited about pilots around the world. That’s the main goal now: To see what it can do in various climates, and how it can scale.”