Novnat

NovNat (NovNat Tech Ltd) is a Birmingham, UK-based advanced materials and engineering design company developing atmospheric water generation/harvesting (AWG/AWH) systems. Its core technology is a proprietary metal-organic framework (MOF) material — a highly porous, sponge-like sorbent tuned to capture water vapour from air and release it using low-grade heat, such as sunlight or industrial waste heat, so that the material can be regenerated and reused continuously. The company states that 1 kilogram of its material can produce more than 10 litres of water per day without electricity or cooling equipment, and that it has demonstrated water capture in desert conditions below 10% relative humidity. Beyond water production, the company also describes applications in humidity control and OPEX-free cooling.

The company was incorporated on 21 April 2022 as NOVNAT LTD and renamed NOVNAT TECH LTD in September 2022. It is registered under SIC codes for manufacture of other special-purpose machinery and specialised design activities, and its registered office is at Unit 26 Enterprise Trading Estate, Pedmore Road, Brierley Hill. NovNat incubated at the University of Birmingham's Unit 9 incubator and later took laboratory space at Birmingham Research Park before moving to the larger Brierley Hill site to scale material production.

Commercially, NovNat targets industries that consume large volumes of water and have access to low-grade waste heat, in particular data centres using evaporative cooling and geothermal power plants that need water for condenser cooling. Its stated aim is standalone AWH units producing over 10,000 litres of clean water per day, supporting a circular water economy in which industrial users become net water positive.

Founding story

Co-founder Ibrahim Albaik worked in Gaza for a large regional company specialising in central water infrastructure including desalination plants, pump stations and wastewater treatment, an experience shaped by intermittent municipal water supply in his neighbourhood. He moved to the UK in 2018 for a master's degree focused on alternative desalination technologies, then won a PhD scholarship at the University of Birmingham after receiving the Ratcliffe Prize as top postgraduate student in the Engineering School. During his PhD he began collaborating with fellow researcher Kamal Diab on sustainable water solutions. Abdulbari Belouafi and Ibrahim Albaik first met as graduate researchers at the University of Birmingham and attended the UoB Elevate incubator and business growth programme before founding the company. In 2022, after Albaik completed his PhD, he co-founded NovNat Tech with Kamal Diab and Abdulbari Belouafi, a mechanical engineer from Algeria who brings commercial focus to productising the technology.

Business model

NovNat develops proprietary sorbent materials and engineered atmospheric water harvesting systems, positioning itself as an advanced materials and engineering design company. It works with industrial partners and OEMs, including a joint development agreement with a dehumidification equipment manufacturer, and integrates its technology into cooling and dehumidification systems rather than only selling standalone units.

Traction

By September 2024 the company had a prototype producing 15 litres of water per day, over £1m in Innovate UK grant funding, and was preparing 2025/26 pilot trials at a data centre and a geothermal power plant. It subsequently reported funding from both the UK government and the EU, funding to test its technology in Turkish geothermal power plants, a joint development agreement with a dehumidification manufacturer, and an AWH pilot trial being built at that partner's facility.

Latest developments

In September 2024 NovNat announced its move from Birmingham Research Park to larger premises at Brierley Hill to scale material production and prepare pilot trials, having secured over £1m from Innovate UK and reporting that it was raising its first round of investment. A May 2025 account from co-founder Ibrahim Albaik described UK and EU funding, partnerships with HVAC OEMs including a joint development agreement in dehumidification, and funding to test the technology in Turkish geothermal power plants. Companies House filings show share allotments through April 2025 and continuing statutory filings into 2026, including director and PSC detail changes for Ibrahim Albaik, Kamal Essam Kamal Kamel Diab and Abdulbari Belouafi.