Solar-powered device can turn dry air into drinkable water
MIT engineers have built a solar-powered gadget that can turn even Death Valley's dry air into drinkable water.
The atmospheric water harvesting window (AWHW) is about the size of a window and doesn't need electricity, making it handy for off-grid or remote places.
How does it work?
At night, a hydrogel inside the device absorbs moisture from the air.
During the day, sunlight heats the hydrogel, causing it to release the absorbed water as vapor, which then condenses on cool glass panes—kind of like morning dew.
That condensed water drips down into a container.
It can produce up to 160ml of water per day
The AWHW can make up to 160ml of safe drinking water per day when humidity ranges from 21% to 88%.
A special glycol additive keeps everything stable so the water stays clean without extra purification.
Potential to provide clean drinking water in remote areas
With more than 2 billion people lacking safe drinking water, this tech could help by using atmospheric moisture—which is way more common than surface freshwater—to provide affordable, decentralized clean water.
The MIT team plans to test bigger panel arrays for homes and see how they work in different climates worldwide.