Chinese researchers develop new hydrogel to harvest water from air - Interesting Engineering

Chinese researchers develop new hydrogel to harvest water from air
Chinese researchers develop new hydrogel to harvest water from airThe gel demonstrated an adsorption capacity of about six times its weight in humid conditions and 90 percent of this water could be recovered.Ameya PalejaPublished: Dec 05, 2023 11:00 AM ESTinnovationA stock image illustrating condensed water vapor on glass.Evhen Kornienko/iStock Get a daily digest of the latest news in tech, science, and technology, delivered right to your mailbox. Subscribe now.By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Policies You may unsubscribe at any time.Researchers at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China have developed a new hydrogel that improves water harvesting from air, a press release said. The water harvester works on solar energy and can be deployed in areas with water scarcity with ease. We have long known that only 0.5 percent of the Earth's water is available as freshwater. With changing climate and increasing pollution, access to clean drinking water is reducing for many people around the globe. The United Nations estimates that 3.5 million people die every year due to water-related illnesses, whereas 2.2 billion people are living in water-stressed countries. In such a scenario, technology that can make water accessible easily is the need of the hour, and researchers around the world have been working to make this a reality. See Also Related New salty gel can harvest pure water from dry desert air MOF-powered, hand-held device can harvest drinkable water using sunlight alone Inspired by spider webs, scientists harvest water from air Harvesting water from the airDesalination plants are feasible in areas that are close to shores, but in remote drylands where there is acute scarcity of water, vapor in the air is the only source of fresh water. Research organizations and commercial entities have been looking to tap into this resource and have turned to using sunlight as a power source. Interesting Engineering has previously reported on various approaches to achieving this. Most of them use a hygroscopic gel that can pull moisture from the air and is then sent through a desorption process to collect the water. The hygroscopic gel contains a large amount of salt to increase its water absorption capacity. This has, however, been a problem as well since higher salt content reduces the swelling capacity of the gel due to the salting-out effect, thereby decreasing water absorption. A schematic diagram of how water can be harvested from the airWang Ruzhu A new hygroscopic gelThe researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University synthesized their hygroscopic gel using plant derivatives. When used with hygroscopic salts, 2.2 pounds (one kilogram) of the gel, when dry, was able to adsorb 2.60 pounds (1.18 kilograms) of water in arid environments and up to 14.1 pounds (6.4 kilograms) in humid environments. "We were impressed that even when up to 5 grams of salt was injected into 1 gram of polymer, the resulting gel maintained good swelling and salt-trapping properties," said Ruzhu Wang, one of the researchers on the project, in the press release. Not only is the gel inexpensive to synthesize, but its production can also be easily scaled. Additionally, the team also tested out a prototype for desorption and condensation chambers. Using a turbofan in the condensation chamber increased the recovery of water to 90 percent. The setup worked equally well during morning hours when the sun was weak and could facilitate absorption and desorption simultaneously during the day."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," Wang added. Apart from water production in dry areas, the hygroscopic material can also be used for purposes of dehumidification, irrigation in agriculture as well as thermal management of electronic devices, the press release said. The research findings were published today in the journal Applied Physics Reviews.HomeInnovationAdd Interesting Engineering to your Google News feed.Add Interesting Engineering to your Google News feed.SHOW COMMENT (1) For You Capturing CO2 using light — and turning it into valuable productsAriel: ESA greenlights Airbus spacecraft for 1000 exoplanets missionIBM, Meta lead 50+ tech firms to counter AI dominance of OpenAI, GoogleDefining the start of the Anthropocene EpochUK rocket company edges closer to first sustainable satellite launchCan methane escape from deep oceans? A new study raises concernsMeta chief scientist accuses NVIDIA of 'supplying weapons' for AI warEarth may now be outside the “safe operating space” for humanityUkraine claims to have shot down Russian Su-24 bomber with US missileWhat is the real impact of CGI — on the environment and on audiences Job Board