MIT engineers developed an atmospheric water harvester that produces fresh water anywhere — even Death Valley, California.
MIT engineers developed an atmospheric water harvester that produces fresh water anywhere — even Death Valley, California.
Today, 2.2 billion people in the world lack access to safe drinking water. In the United States, more than 46 million people experience water insecurity, living with either no running water or water that is unsafe to drink. The increasing need for drinking water is stretching traditional resources such as rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.
To improve access to safe and affordable drinking water, MIT engineers are tapping into an unconventional source: the air. The Earth’s atmosphere contains millions of billions of gallons of water in the form of vapor. If this vapor can be efficiently captured and condensed, it could supply clean drinking water in places where traditional water resources are inaccessible.
With that goal in mind, the MIT team has developed and tested a new atmospheric water harvester and shown that it efficiently captures water vapor and produces safe drinking water across a range of relative humidities, including dry desert air.
Read more at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Image: A close-up of a new origami-inspired hydrogel material, designed by MIT engineers, that swells to absorb water from the air. When water condenses out of the material to be collected, the individual hydrogel spheres shrink back down to capture more moisture. (Credit: Courtesy of the researchers via Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
