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Drinking Water Sucked from Dusty Desert Air Using Hybrid Hydrogel

posted by martyb on Sunday December 09 2018, @12:04PM   
from the technology dept.

karthikaqpt writes:

A simple device that can capture its own weight in water from fresh air and then release that water when warmed by sunlight could provide a secure new source of drinking water in remote arid regions, new research from KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science & Technology) suggests.

At the heart of the device is the cheap, stable, nontoxic salt, calcium chloride. This deliquescent salt has such a high affinity for water that it will absorb so much vapor from the surrounding air that eventually a pool of liquid forms.

https://www.rtoz.org/2018/12/07/drinking-water-sucked-from-the-dusty-desert-air-using-hybrid-hydrogel/

The full research paper is available on-line.

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Original Submission

• works in arid conditions (Score: 5, Informative) by martyb on Sunday December 09 2018, @03:22PM

  by martyb (76) on Sunday December 09 2018, @03:22PM (#771948) Journal

  From the research article [acs.org] linked in TFS:

  A proof-of-concept is provided by using CaCl₂, a cheap, stable, ecofriendly, and nontoxic deliquescent salt. The hydration reaction of CaCl₂ enables it to capture water at low humidity (i.e., RH 10–25%), while its deliquescence further draws more water vapor into the dissolving salt with RH ranges down to 26% at 25 °C, making it an effective water sorbent for wide range with a superior capacity. With a solar photothermal component built in, the deliquescent-salt–hydrogel–photothermal composite material in this work captures 0.74, 1.10, and 1.75 g of water vapor for each gram of the dry composite material at RH of 35, 60, and 80%, respectively (mixing ratio 6.5, 11.8, and 16.2 g/kg_air), and it releases almost 100% of the captured water under irradiation with regular sunlight intensity.

  [...] The excellent water production performance of the hydrogel based simple and affordable device was confirmed under field conditions. Given the fact that the working RH range of the hybrid hydrogel covers most of arid deserts, almost all islands, and inland remote regions, the AWG devices based on the hydrogel are low cost, versatile, deployable, and thus suitable for delivering much needed fresh water therein.

  RH == Relative Humidity
  AWG == Atmospheric Water Generator

  --
  Wit is intellect, dancing.

  Parent

  Starting Score:	1		point
  Moderation		+3
  Informative=3, Total=3
  Extra 'Informative' Modifier		0
  Karma-Bonus Modifier		+1
  Total Score:		5