Nobel Laureate Invents Device to Extract Water from Desert Air

“Solving humanity’s water shortage is just a matter of time. Because we have found the method.”

Amid the recent U.S.-Israel and Iran war, which targeted desalination facilities in the Middle East, ‘water security’ has resurfaced as a critical issue. The destruction of a single large-scale desalination plant can cut off water supplies for hundreds of thousands. This is not exclusive to the Middle East. According to the United Nations, the world has already entered the ‘era of water bankruptcy.’ Currently, 2.2 billion people lack access to clean drinking water, and 4 billion experience severe water shortages.

Amid this crisis, a technology capable of extracting clean water from dry desert air has emerged as humanity’s hope. Omar Yagi (61), a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who developed this technology, received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last year for his contributions. We met him at the Conrad Seoul in Yeouido, Seoul, during his first visit to Korea since winning the Nobel Prize on the 16th. He stated, “Equipment commercializing this technology will be available within this year,” adding, “We no longer need to worry about water shortages.” When a reporter responded, “This is hard to believe,” he laughed and said, “Great achievements are often hard to believe at first.”

◇Inventing a Stable Water Source Even During War

Yagi’s startup, Atoco, has developed a device that extracts water from the air. With this device, households can produce water without relying on centralized water infrastructure. No electricity is needed—only sunlight. Even if desalination facilities are attacked and power supplies are cut, stable water access remains possible.

“We are preparing for commercialization within this year,” he said. “We have completed field tests in various deserts and will produce 1,000 liters of clean water daily.” He added, “Extracting water from the air does not deplete natural moisture cycles, ensuring a continuous supply.” He confidently stated that technical issues have been resolved and there are no side effects. When called a “water alchemist,” he replied, “I’m just a scientist,” but admitted, “We’ve essentially invented a new kind of well.”

The core technology enabling this is metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which can be described as ‘microscopic sponge warehouses.’ These nano-materials, created by linking metals and organic compounds like LEGO bricks, have numerous pores that efficiently store gases and liquids. Just 1 gram of MOF can create a surface area equivalent to a soccer field.

While MOFs have high potential, their complex manufacturing processes and instability were limitations. Yagi commercialized the technology, earning him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last year alongside Richard Robson of the University of Melbourne and Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University. At the time, Nobel Committee Chairman Hans Ellegren praised, “MOFs hold immense potential, bringing opportunities once deemed unimaginable.”

◇Childhood Experiences as the Starting Point of a Lifetime’s Research

Yagi, who grew up in a Palestinian refugee family in Amman, Jordan, had to run with large water containers every two weeks when authorities supplied water. He said the pivotal moment that changed his life occurred when he was 10. After accidentally entering a library, he saw molecular diagrams in a science book and felt destined to become a chemist. When asked, “Most children wouldn’t find complex molecular diagrams interesting,” he replied, “It was like falling in love—hard to explain why.”

At 15, Yagi moved to the U.S. with his family in search of better opportunities. He majored in chemistry at the University of Albany, earned a Ph.D. at the University of Illinois, and completed postdoctoral studies at Harvard. He emphasized, “I tried to pursue entirely new endeavors rather than follow conventional paths,” adding, “To achieve great things, one must break free from ordinary norms.”

When asked about education in the AI era, he said, “We must teach people how to handle chaos.” The ability to make correct choices in chaotic situations and identify opportunities in complexity remains uniquely human, he argued.

Yagi has deep ties to Korea. He said his time researching in Korea is the longest outside the U.S. and will continue his activities as a foreign member of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology. Regarding Korea’s scientific community, he noted, “It has an advanced and mature system,” but urged, “More experimental spirit is needed.”

“You must not fear new challenges. If you do, I’m confident Korea will soon produce Nobel laureates.”