New method extracts 14 liters drinking water from thin air daily using food scraps

[jmotivator]

US' method extracts 14 liters of water from air daily using food scraps

UT Austin researchers create hydrogels from biomass like food waste, pulling clean drinking water from air, even in dry climates.

interestingengineering.com

esearchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a new method that can extract nearly four gallons of clean drinking water directly from the air by using just a single kilogram of everyday biomass, such as food scraps and seashells.
This system transforms these everyday biomass into “molecularly functionalized biomass hydrogels” that harvest water directly from the atmosphere.

“This material gives us a way to tap into nature’s most abundant resources and make water from air—anytime, anywhere,” said Weixin Guan, the lead researcher of the study.

And more specifically the details on the process:

The research team has developed a method to modify natural polysaccharides at the molecular level and enhance their ability to capture moisture from the air and release it easily when heated.

This two-step process involves attaching thermoresponsive and zwitterionic groups to the materials. This makes them more responsive to temperature changes and improves their water absorption and storage capabilities.

This molecular modification enables the hydrogels to capture moisture from the air at ambient temperatures. When subjected to mild heating, specifically around 60°C (140°F), the stored water is released in a purified form.

This is very interesting because the temperatures that are needed to extract the water can be achieved with normal concentrated sunlight, no need for electricity at all. With the gel gathering moisture continuously, you would only really need the heat for half of the day to extract the water that was gathered overnight. And the system gathers nearly 4 gallons of water per kilogram of material, and the material is created from basically food waste.

A stand alone portable system that can extract water in any climate without need for electricity is rather impressive.

 

[dmpi]

We need more of this kind of thing. This solution has almost no downside.

 

[BitterPill]

We need more of this kind of thing. This solution has almost no downside.

Sadly, it does have a downside, a big one.

I am distressed by the University of Texas, of all people, using liters instead of the American system, and I hope Trump immediately signs an EO prohibiting such vile practices within our institutions of higher learning.

MAGA.

 

[dmpi]

Sadly, it does have a downside, a big one.

I am distressed by the University of Texas, of all people, using liters instead of the American system, and I hope Trump immediately signs an EO prohibiting such vile practices within our institutions of higher learning.

MAGA.

If I get pulled over speeding in Canada, I tell the cop that the speed limit is 100 mph.

 

[reflechissez]

These are the kinds of things that are funded by government grants. elon may have cut this.

 

[jmotivator]

These are the kinds of things that are funded by government grants. elon may have cut this.

You can cancel a few studies on the effects of climate change on Mongolian prostitutes and funding teen drag shows in Serbia to fund actual useful studies.

Granted, these kinds of studies that have real world application and value would also fund themselves.

 

[Gordy327]

These are the kinds of things that are funded by government grants. elon may have cut this.

Science should be funded more, not less.

 

[reflechissez]

You can cancel a few studies on the effects of climate change on Mongolian prostitutes and funding teen drag shows in Serbia to fund actual useful studies.

Granted, these kinds of studies that have real world application and value would also fund themselves.

Nothing funds itself. That’s ridiculous.