A new technology installed on factory chimney cowls can be used to salvage drinkable water from waste.
The hi-tech membrane has been created by energy services firm Kema and 13 partners across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and was commissioned by the European Union.
Testing is currently underway on a wide scale, but the new concept could eventually lead to a rethink of how factories install chimneys and flue accessories in the future.
Industrial plant testing in the Netherlands and Germany demonstrated that at least 40 per cent of the water in flue gases could be recovered.
Commenting on the tests, Kema chairman of the board of directors Pier Nabuurs explained: "The consequences of this new technology are far-reaching.
"Not only in the field of the environment and cost savings, but certainly also in the field of the drinking water issue in arid areas, as in some African countries."