New water harvester: dry desert can also produce pure water

September 9, 2019

New water harvester: dry desert can also produce pure water

 

According to foreign media reports, a study by the University of California, Berkeley, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society "ACS Central Science", pointed out that they are preparing to produce a microwave water harvester that allows you to directly Get the water you need in the air, even in hot, dry deserts.

 

Omar Yaghi of the University of California at Berkeley and his colleagues described their latest version of the water collector, per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of water-absorbing material (a porous substance called a metal-organic framework compound, also called MOF) 5 cups of water (1.3 liters) can be taken from low humidity air every day, which exceeds the minimum required to survive.

In a three-day field trial in California's arid Mojave Desert, water harvesters reliably produced 0.7 liters of nearly three cups of clean, purified water per kilogram of MOF per day. And the harvester is powered by solar panels and batteries and can be used around the clock.

 

Even on the driest day in the desert, where the relative humidity is extremely low and the temperature exceeds 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit), the harvester produces 60.2 liters (ounces) of water per kilogram of MOF per day.

Yaji said: "As we all know, to make the water in the air condense under low humidity (relative humidity less than 40%), you need to cool the air below zero degrees Celsius, which is unrealistic. Use our water harvester. This can be done at very low humidity without cooling, unlike a dehumidifier that works at high relative humidity. Some say that 0.7 liters of water is not much, but if you are in serious water shortages This water is very useful."