The device, designed by engineers from the University of Utah, collects water molecules from the air and turns them into drinking water thanks to hygroscopic metal-organic materials.
According to the results of the research detailed in the journal "Cell Reports Physical Science", the device will be able to provide clean drinking water to billions of people facing water shortages.
Engineers from the University of Utah in the US have designed an atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) device that can collect water molecules from the air and turn them into drinking water.
Sameer Rao from the research team said that they used hygroscopic materials in metal-organic structure in the device they produced, and that hygroscopic materials absorb water very well.
Stating that metal-organic structures can be customized to absorb only water spring from the air, Rao noted that the hygroscopic material can also be arranged to separate different gases.
Nathan Ortiz from the research team stated that they were able to capture a large amount of water with a small amount of material due to the large surface area of the material used on a molecular scale.
Ortiz stated that after capturing the water vapor on the porous surface of the material, the water molecules are heated and turned into liquid, and that they have applied for a preliminary patent for the device.
