Collecting water from the air to tackle a global crisis

Water is a vital part of our existence, yet millions of people around the globe are struggling to gain access to safe drinking water. But imagine if we could create water from the mere air around us? That would be a revolutionary game-changer.

According to the United Nations and World Health Organization, 1 in 3 people do not have access to safe drinking water. Now, experts from University of New South Wales (UNSW) suggest a new way to tackle this global issue – atmospheric water generation.

In simple words, it’s a process that could extract water from the moist air around us.

Extracting water from air

Professor Kristen Splinter, the managing director of UNSW‘s Water Research Laboratory joins Daniel Lambert, the former Civil Engineer of the Year and current CEO of Legacie, to promote the technology.

Together, they discuss the potential of atmospheric water generation technology in an episode of UNSW’s Engineering the Future podcast series.

“When we consider innovations in water, atmospheric water generation is a really interesting one. Its viability commercially and on scale is still being proven but it could help solve some of our problems for communities without access to fresh water supply. It could be particularly relevant for communities located in humid environments,” noted Lambert.

This technology offers a broad spectrum of methods to extract water from air. From collecting fog and using membranes that only pass water vapor to using certain chemicals that extract water from air, the possibilities are promising.

Opportunities vary by region

“You can collect fog, you can use membranes that only pass water vapor. There’s ways of using different chemicals. You can expose air to those chemicals that extract the water from it, or through condensation or pressurizing air,” notes Lambert.

Kristen Splinter agrees on the promising nature of the technology, but with a caveat. It’s the environmental conditions that matter.

“A research paper from Nature was suggesting that up to 1 billion people in the tropics, where this is potentially going to be most successful, could have access to safer drinking water by using this atmospheric water harvesting,” noted Splinter. This technology is potentially most successful in tropics due to their humid environment.

However, this solution doesn’t work like a universal fix. The key to successful atmospheric water generation is humidity, which is absent in many parts of the world. “Each region would need to find the most viable solution for its area,” Splinter said.

Challenges in converting air to water

While the promise of atmospheric water generation is compelling, there are significant challenges that must be overcome before it can be widely implemented.

One of the primary hurdles is the energy consumption associated with this technology. The processes used to extract moisture from air often require substantial power, which can limit their feasibility in regions where energy resources are scarce or where reliance on fossil fuels could exacerbate environmental woes.

Additionally, the initial capital investment for the necessary infrastructure can be daunting, posing a barrier for communities with limited financial resources.

Therefore, ongoing research is needed to develop more energy-efficient methods and cost-effective solutions to ensure that atmospheric water generation can become a viable option for diverse populations.

Gray side of water: A potential solution

Besides atmospheric water generation, Splinter and Lambert also discuss other potential solutions to the global water crisis, including graywater systems. Graywater refers to the reusable wastewater from washing machines, showers, and baths.

One important point the experts made was the need to prevent graywater from mixing with toilet water. “Why do we put all the other things that are graywater down that same system?” said Splinter.

“Education is key, not just how we deal with wastewater on a centralized scale, but at a community and household scale.

“If we think about 30 years down the track, will we need centralized wastewater treatment plants or will we be able to do it through a closed-loop process in a household or in a precinct?”

So, could the air we breathe today be our water source tomorrow? And could graywater be the golden ticket to tackling water scarcity? Only time will tell, but for now, these fresh perspectives are quenching our thirst for innovative solutions.

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