A research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has set out to make significant progress on one of the major problems affecting humanity.
This device allows the extraction of drinking water from the desert air
In this sense, experts have managed to present an alternative to water scarcity through a system. That will enable the vital liquid to be extracted from the air. Even if it has the lowest level of humidity on the planet, such as the desert. In the research paper, published by Science, it is revealed:
Even in the driest places on Earth, there is some moisture in the air, and a practical way to extract that moisture could be the key to survival in such environments.
In this way, the MIT experts were able to demonstrate that a moisture extraction system like this one is capable of operating even in adverse conditions, because the first tests, carried out in the Arizona desert, yielded positive results.
How does that technology work?
The extraction of drinking water was achieved by isolating airborne particles. That had humidity levels below 10 percent. And was made possible by the use of MOF (metal-organic) materials.
The operation of the device created by MIT researchers consists of the following process: the air flows through a metal-organic layer at night, and then releases the water in the form of steam thanks to the heat of the sun that is projected onto the sheet in the morning. Finally, the vapor is condensed and collected in the form of drinking water.
Today, systems to extract water from the air require a moisture content of 50 percent. As do cooling systems, such as compressors and pumps. Which also require additional maintenance and energy. With this new development, not only could the extraction of more drinking water be achieved. But it will also save power, as it is based on solar energy.