MIT engineers develop a ‘window’ that converts dry desert air into safe drinking water
WINDOW-SIZED DEVICE CONVERTS AIR INTO FRESH DRINKING WATER
MIT engineers have created a window-sized device that uses hydrogel to turn air vapor into safe drinking water. About the size of a window, the panel is upright and surrounded by a hydrogel that has the ability to collect water vapor from the air. These are all contained in a glass box with a cooling layer. Here, the hydrogels contain ridges that make them look like black bubble wrap. Like folding paper, the bumps swell when they absorb water vapor from the air and then contract again when the water evaporates.
After leaving the hydrogel, the water vapor turns into liquid on the chilled glass. After that, the safe drinking water is ready for consumption after trickling down and out through a tube. The goal of the invention, according to the MIT engineers, is to facilitate the production of clean drinking water in areas without a lake, river, or well, where air is the only readily available supply that may be transformed into water. Even in arid regions like deserts, this atmospheric water harvester subsequently “pulls” the vapor from the atmosphere and turns it into potable water.
NO ELECTRICITY, SOLAR PANELS, OR BATTERIES NEEDED
The air-to-drinking water converter is a window-sized gadget that operates independently. Unlike the current systems that require a power source before they can create water, this one doesn’t require any electricity, solar panels, or batteries. In Death Valley, California, which is regarded as the driest location in North America, the researchers conducted a test for more than a week. Following their testing, they discovered that the gadget could extract and transform 160 milliliters of drinking water every day—the equivalent of two-thirds of a cup—from the air, despite the fact that the air is dry here.
Therefore, the researchers think that even if a household lives in a desert, having several panels of the window-sized gadget placed next to one another can help convert and collect enough drinking water from the air for the household. Since the gadget would convert and create even more drinking water from air, they might even be more suitable in areas with more humidity, such as cities with moderate or tropical climates. The scientists are currently investigating creating a new hydrogel version to accelerate the vapor absorption and water generation, and the published report details the science underlying the creation.
Source : Design Boom
