The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) recently signed two Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) with industry partners to accelerate the development of next-generation, fuel-efficient atmospheric water extraction systems. The water produced from these systems would be potable, i.e. suitable for human consumption, and would provide an alternative to resupplying water via convoys in austere locations or emergency response support for cases when surface water supplies are compromised or not readily accessible.
CRADAs allow ERDC researchers to exchange technical expertise with non-Federal partners while accepting reimbursement or other resources in return, enabling highly collaborative research. These CRADAs, both signed in late September, focus on developing advanced, low-energy methods to extract potable water from air — an inherently energy intensive process and tremendous technical challenge. Independent agreements were signed with two small businesses, each pursuing distinct approaches for extracting atmospheric water from air. The partnerships will aim to leverage previous efforts supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Army Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. If successful, the collaborative research efforts could accelerate the commercial availability of these advanced technologies and inform potential future military capability development efforts for atmospheric water generation.
On September 15, 2025, ERDC signed the first CRADA with Genesis Systems of Tampa, Florida. As described on their corporate website, Genesis Systems — who is venture-backed and partnered with Southland Holdings and Turtle & Hughes — is a global technology company founded to create sustainable, affordable and efficient solutions to the international water crisis. Genesis’s flagship product, WaterCubeTM , is an operationally-fielded and commercially-available series of atmospheric water generators. Under the CRADA, ERDC and Genesis will aim to develop small fuel-efficient atmospheric water generators that can be mounted on a truck bed or all-terrain vehicles.
ERDC signed a second CRADA with AirJoule LLC on September 25, 2025. As described on their corporate website, AirJoule is a joint venture between GE Vernova and AirJoule Technologies Corporation and seeks to deliver groundbreaking sorption technologies that produce pure water from air using commercial scale approaches to mitigate water scarcity through distributed water generation for businesses and consumers around the world. This partnership will aim to develop a larger fuel-efficient water vapor extraction system designed to operate within a 20-foot shipping container that will provide water for larger groups of soldiers at forward operating bases and can be transported by medium or heavy tactical trucks.
ERDC’s portion of the work will be performed by the operational water team, drawing from expertise from both the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) and the Geospatial Research Laboratory (GRL).
“These CRADAs are a powerful example of how ERDC and industry can align innovation to create greater impact than either could achieve alone,” said CERL Director Dr. Andrew Nelson. “Partnerships like these are essential for accelerating technology development in support of Department of War priorities within an increasingly contested environment.”
The initiative also builds on ERDC’s history of exploring waste-heat utilization. A 2016 ERDC technical report (TR 30-16) examined opportunities to use waste heat in contingency locations for heating water and facilities.
“These two CRADAs will extend the waste heat utilization concept to increase the fuel-efficiency of atmospheric water generators,” said Dr. Martin Page, a senior scientific technical manager at CERL. “If successful, this research could enable potential sustainment capabilities and resilient facilities of the future — with the ultimate goal of supporting our warfighters in their mission to deter conflict and secure our nation. Partnering with industry through CRADAs will accelerate and enhance these efforts.”