MIT Researchers Test Innovative Device To Tap Water From Air

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have tested an innovative "bubble wrap" technology that harvests water from the air, even in extreme dryness like Death Valley, which is the driest desert in North America.

The device uses hydrogel, a highly water-absorbent material, configured in dome-like structures resembling bubble wrap. It's enclosed between two layers of glass, similar to a window.

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The device absorbs water vapour from the atmosphere at night and during the day, the water condenses on the glass due to a special coating that keeps the glass cool, the findings of the study, published on June 11 in the journal Nature Water, explained.

The liquid water then flows down the glass and is collected in a system of tubes. It produces safe drinking water without electricity, minimising contamination using glycerol to reduce lithium salt leakage.

Its compact design allows multiple panels to be installed vertically. The researchers were able to produce 57-161.5 millilitres of water per day in Death Valley tests, MIT representatives said in a statement.

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The study mentioned that the system is expected to produce more water in humid environments, providing drinking water for households lacking access to safe water.

As per the study, around eight panels (3x6 feet each) could supply enough water for a household, and the payback period is less than a month compared to bottled water costs.

"We imagine that you could one day deploy an array of these panels, and the footprint is very small because they are all vertical," Xuanhe Zhao, one of the paper's authors and a professor of both MIT's mechanical engineering and civil and environmental engineering departments, said in the statement.

"Now people can build it even larger, or make it into parallel panels, to supply drinking water to people and achieve real impact."