{"id":25843,"date":"2025-06-11T13:33:30","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T13:33:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=25843"},"modified":"2025-06-11T13:34:23","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T13:34:23","slug":"innovative-device-harvests-drinking-water-from-air","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/innovative-device-harvests-drinking-water-from-air\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovative Device Harvests Drinking Water From Air"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">MIT engineers have developed a pioneering device to generate drinking water from air. This breakthrough offers hope to over 2.2 billion people worldwide who lack access to clean water.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MIT engineers have introduced a groundbreaking device that could provide a crucial solution to global water scarcity by extracting drinkable water directly from the air. With over 2.2 billion people around the world lacking access to safe drinking water \u2014 and 46 million facing water insecurity in the United States alone \u2014 this innovation holds immense promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The newly developed atmospheric water harvester captures water vapor from the air and converts it into safe drinking water. Unlike other solutions, this device operates without any external power source, making it ideal for deployment in areas with limited resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have built a meter-scale device that we hope to deploy in resource-limited regions, where even a solar cell is not very accessible,\u201d Xuanhe Zhao, the Uncas and Helen Whitaker Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT, said in a news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The device features a window-sized vertical panel constructed from a unique hydrogel material encased in a cooling-glass chamber. The hydrogel, resembling black bubble wrap, absorbs water vapor and then releases it through an evaporation-condensation cycle, delivering clean and drinkable water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:23px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"552\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/MIT-water-harvester.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-25872\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Caption: <\/em>MIT engineers test a passive water harvester in Death Valley, CA. The window-sized setup is made from an origami-inspired hydrogel material (black) that absorbs water from the air, and releases it into tubes where researchers can collect the moisture as pure drinking water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Credit:<\/em> Courtesy of the researchers; MIT News<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:4px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a real-world test conducted over seven days in Death Valley, California \u2014 the driest place in North America \u2014 the device harvested up to 160 milliliters of water per day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The system&#8217;s efficiency is projected to increase in more humid environments, which could revolutionize water access, particularly in arid regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The core of the innovation lies in its use of hydrogels, a material known for its exceptional water-absorbing properties. By integrating glycerol into the hydrogel, the team prevented salt from leaking into the collected water, addressing a key challenge faced by similar water-harvesting technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is just a proof-of-concept design, and there are a lot of things we can optimize,\u201d added first author \u201cWill\u201d Chang Liu, a former MIT\u00a0postdoc who is now an assistant professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS). \u201cFor instance, we could have a multipanel design. And we\u2019re working on a next generation of the material to further improve its intrinsic properties.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The idea is to deploy these panels at scale in regions where water scarcity is a critical issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThen you could have many panels together, collecting water all the time, at household scale,\u201d Zhao added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s44221-025-00447-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in the journal Nature Water, showcases the potential of this innovation to provide a sustainable and scalable solution to the water crisis affecting millions globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Co-authors of the study include Xiao-Yun Yan, Shucong Li and Bolei Deng from MIT and collaborators from NUS, The University of Hong Kong and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.mit.edu\/2025\/window-sized-device-taps-air-safe-drinking-water-0611\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Massachusetts Institute of Technology<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MIT engineers have introduced a groundbreaking device that could provide a crucial solution to global water scarcity by extracting drinkable water directly from the air. With over 2.2 billion people around the world lacking access to safe drinking water \u2014 and 46 million facing water insecurity in the United States alone \u2014 this innovation holds [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[103,394,322,531],"class_list":["post-25843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sustainability","tag-mit","tag-mohammed-vi-polytechnic-university","tag-national-university-of-singapore","tag-university-of-hong-kong"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"MIT engineers have introduced a groundbreaking device that could provide a crucial solution to global water scarcity by extracting drinkable water directly from the air. With over 2.2 billion people around the world lacking access to safe drinking water \u2014 and 46 million facing water insecurity in the United States alone \u2014 this innovation holds&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25843"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25886,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25843\/revisions\/25886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}