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from the like-load-lifters-but-different dept.
A scientist named Dr. Shing-Chung (Josh) Wong has developed "a bio-inspired approach for a novel bead-on-string nanofiber with hydrophobicity/ hydrophilicity simultaneously by electrospinning-enabled technique, that can be used as a high-performance water harvester" to collect potable water from the air, even in desert environments:
To miniaturize water generation and improve the efficiency, Wong and his students at the University of Akron turned to electrospun polymers, a material they had already worked with for more than a decade. Electrospinning uses electrical forces to produce polymer fibers ranging from tens of nanometers up to 1 micrometer—an ideal size to condense and squeeze water droplets out of the air. These nanoscale fiber polymers offer an incredibly high surface-area-to-volume ratio, much larger than that provided by the typical structures and membranes used in water distillers.
By experimenting with different combinations of polymers that were hydrophilic—which attracts water—and hydrophobic—which discharges water, the group concluded that a water harvesting system could indeed be fabricated using nanofiber technology. Wong's group determined that their polymer membrane could harvest 744 mg/cm2/h, which is 91 percent higher than similarly designed membranes without these nanofibers.
Unlike existing methods, Wong's harvester could work in arid desert environments because of the membrane's high surface-area-to-volume ratio. It also would have a minimal energy requirement.
Wong says that the device should be inexpensive to construct, and he's looking for funding to build a prototype.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday August 22 2018, @04:28PM (3 children)
Air already dry in the desert. What kind of ecological impact would using something like this have, if used extensively? Or is it really, a drop in the bucket so to speak, and not something to worry about?
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Wednesday August 22 2018, @05:07PM (2 children)
There's a comment or two like that under TFA itself, and a couple more in this discussion. Let's look at it; anyone more knowledgeable please correct me where I'm wrong.
Extensive use would lower the humidity locally, meaning that the nearest ocean or sea that previously couldn't evaporate any more water into the air, would then be able to, re-establishing equilibrium. The impact: Now you have 10 more gallons of fresh water in the desert/village/base camp/etc. which will re-enter the water cycle from there instead of from the ocean, from which it was displaced. Not much, in other words.
If it's not 10, but 100, or 1000, or 10000, or 1000000 or a billion or ten billion gallons, it's the exact same situation. The U.S. Geological survey estimates that there are 352,670,000,000,000,000,000 [noaa.gov] gallons of water in the oceans. Ten billion gallons is 0.00% of that, even if the water were being removed from the system*, which it isn't; it's being borrowed, and the water cycle will immediately seek the equilibrium that replaces it.
Assuming wind or solar power (no emissions), bottom line, no measurable impact on the water cycle; tiny but unpredictable weather/climate changes due to ever so slightly different circulation of air (evaporation spread over larger area).
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* If we took the water and sent in on spaceships to Moon and extra-planetary colonies, then it would be removed from the system. We could keep even that up for a very, very long time.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 22 2018, @06:43PM (1 child)
If the water were used to grow plants/forests, the effect on the local environment could be quite dramatic.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 23 2018, @09:45AM
You mean, like, good? Provided you have enough water for irrigation, as otherwise you can destroy the soil (well know, btw).