‘ Device that can harvest water from desert air’

Boston, March 25: Scientists, including one of Indian- origin, have developed a new device that can harvest drinkable water right out of the driest of desert air.

Even in the most arid places on Earth, there is some moisture in the air, and a practical way to extract that moisture could be a key to survival in such bone- dry locations.

Researchers, including Sameer Rao from Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT) in the US, have now proved that such an extraction system can work.

The device has been field- tested in the very dry air of Tempe, Arizona, confirming the potential of the new method, the researchers said.

The system, based on relatively new high- surfacearea materials called metal- organic frameworks ( MOFs), can extract potable water from even the driest of desert air, with relative humidities as low as 10 ◗ Current methods The test device was

powered solely by sunlight, for extracting water and although it from air require was a small proof- of- concept higher levels — device, if scaled up, 100 per cent its output would be

equivalent to more than humidity for fogharvesting

a quarter- litre of water methods, per day per kilogramme and above of MOF, they said. 50% for dew- harvesting With an optimal material choice, output can be refrigeration

as high as three times based systems, that of the current version, which also said Hyunho Kim require energy for from MIT.

Not only does this system cooling work at lower per cent, they said. humidities than dew

Current methods for harvesting does, but extracting water from air those systems require require much higher levels pumps and compressors — 100 per cent humidity that can wear out, said for fog- harvesting Rao. methods, and above 50 “This has no moving per cent for dew- harvesting parts. It can be operated refrigeration- based in a completely passive systems, which also manner, in places with require large amounts of low humidity but large energy for cooling. amounts of sunlight,” he

The new system, said. described in the journal Whereas the team had N a t u r e previously described the Communications, could possibility of running fill an unmet need for the system passively, Rao water even in the world’s said, “now we have driest regions, demonstrated that this is researchers said. indeed possible.”