Researchers in China have reportedly developed a new technology similar to hydropanels for harvesting water out of thin air that is powered by energy from the sun. The device could be especially useful in dry, arid areas where water — but not sunlight — is hard to come by.
The findings from the research team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China were published in the scientific journal Applied Physics Reviews.
"This atmospheric water harvesting technology can be used to increase the daily water supply needs, such as household drinking water, industrial water, and water for personal hygiene," said Ruzhu Wang, one of the study's authors.
According to the study, the device is more efficient than other existing atmospheric water generators because it uses a "novel rotating operational strategy, in which one module works in the desorption, while the others work in the adsorption simultaneously … to keep the device harvesting water continuously."
The technology could also be used for purposes ranging from dehumidification to agriculture irrigation to thermal management for electronic devices.
According to a United Nations report, more than one in four people in the world (2 billion people in total) does not have access to clean drinking water, while nearly one in two (3.6 billion people) does not have access to basic sanitation. The report estimated that it would cost between $600 billion and $1 trillion per year to remedy this dire issue.
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However, with new technologies emerging that can create potable water out of thin air, getting people the basic necessities they need may soon be easier than previously thought. In addition to the technology created by the researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, other similar pieces of technology have begun to emerge.
One such device, created by a Chicago-based entrepreneur, has already begun to generate atmospheric water for people in Puerto Rico; Flint, Michigan; and Sand Branch, Texas, and can also be powered by solar energy.
Another atmospheric water generator is currently for sale for $20,000, plus $800 for installation. Yet another similar device has been created by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin.
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