Fresh water
70%
of the world's fresh water goes to agriculture
A large share never reaches the plant. It evaporates first.
A patented organic biomimicry technology that suppresses evaporation, cuts irrigation water use 30-50% (site-specific) and lifts crop yield ~5-15% in trials.
A large share never reaches the plant. It evaporates first.
Every crop carries a hidden water debt: a single almond can cost around 12 litres.
Stressed aquifers, thirsty crops and water-hungry data centers all draw on the same shrinking resource.
Here's the solution.
An organic bead the size of a small grape, engineered to mimic the lotus leaf.
The lotus leaf is naturally super-hydrophobic. It repels water so completely that droplets bead and roll away. We engineered an organic, super-hydrophobic bead that mimics this surface.
WaterPearls form a super-hydrophobic layer that suppresses evaporation, so more of the water applied stays in the soil as liquid, where roots can use it.
In the past, growing more meant more water, fertilizer, labour or land. WaterPearls break the link between more output and more water.
Irrigation and energy savings, immediately measurable on your water bill and pump runtime.
Optimal nutrient absorption when soil stays evenly moist, irrigation after irrigation.
Reduced nutrients, herbicides and pesticides. The soil and the plants get healthier, and the cost per acre goes down.
Low-maintenance, inert and biodegradable. They are made of organic compounds (primarily simple sugars) that break down under UV only while surface-exposed. Covered by soil, they persist as a long-lived amendment.
Water-saving and yield figures are site-specific, measured against a baseline; ranges reflect crop, climate and coverage.
Each field has its own irrigation challenge. WaterPearls adapt to the system in place: soil, drip, sprinkler, hydroponic, reservoir.
Long-cycle perennials with deep root systems: apple, almond, citrus, walnut.
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Wine and table grapes, where controlled water stress meets economic yield.
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Nursery, ornamentals, container-grown specialty crops: a high evaporation surface.
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Controlled environment agriculture where humidity, disease and water cost compound.
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Reforestation, nursery stock, early-stage establishment in arid conditions.
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Utilities, municipal storage, agricultural reservoirs: cut evaporative loss at the source.
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Through a rainless 75-day summer in Woodland, California, WaterPearls mats were laid over the root zone of an almond orchard and tracked with in-ground moisture sensors.
Intermediate field-trial results reported by RHST Industries. See the orchard application → · Download the case study (PDF) →
Field trials underway since 2016 in China, South Africa, Jordan, the United States, Canada and Australia, in collaboration with academic and grower partners.
International prize
Awarded by Saudi Arabia's National Center for Palms & Dates for advancing water-use efficiency in date-palm agriculture.
Label
Labelled twice by the Solar Impulse Foundation, in 2020 and again in December 2023. Independent experts assess each solution for both environmental and economic performance. See the listing →
Patent
The surface and subsurface water-retention system, granted in 2018. The patent family has been filed since 2013, with protection running to 2034.
Selection
Selected among VivaTech's Top 400 Tech for Change, presenting its water infrastructure for AI data centers in Paris.
Research
Field-trial and research collaborations with UC Davis (California) and NAIT (Alberta), plus an ISO 14046-based Water Impact Report by Oxia Initiative.
Research
Academic collaborations with McGill University (Montreal, Canada) and Mutah University (Jordan). Peer-reviewed water-retention and plant-growth results were published in 2015. Read the study →