Some of the scientists nowadays have developed a simple device which can capture the water from thin air, and release it when warmed by sunlight. The advance could also provide up with a secure new source of drinking water in the remote arid regions, according to the report.
Earth air contains almost 13 trillion tonnes of water, a vast renewable reservoir of clean drinking water.
Some of the trials of many materials and devices which is developed to tap this water source have shown to be either too inefficient, complex or expensive for the practical use.
The prototype device which is developed by the researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia makes use of a stable, cheap, calcium chloride and nontoxic salt.
The salt has a high quantity of affinity for water and will absorb so much vapor from the surrounding air that eventually a pool of liquid forms, said the researchers.
“The deliquescent salt can dissolve itself by absorbing moisture from the air,” he said.
Calcium Chloride has a great potential in water-harvesting, but the fact is that it turns from a solid to a salty liquid after absorbing the water that has also been a major hurdle for its use as a water capture device.
“The hydrogel’s most notable aspects are its high performance and low cost,” said Li.
If the prototype were scaled up to produce with the 3 liters of water per day, then the minimum water requirement for an adult, the material cost of the absorbent hydrogel would also be as low as half a cent per day.
The next step will be to a fine up to the tune the absorbent hydrogel so that it simply releases harvested water continuously rather than in batches, the researchers claimed.
