System for hydrogel-based SAWH. (A) Schematic of the system, visualizing each key system parts in addition to vitality and mass switch all through the cyclical day-night operation. (B) The PAM-LiCl hydrogel sorbent is illustrated on the microscale, detailing the crosslinked structure of the salt-loaded hydrogel composite materials. The water vapor sorption isotherm at 25°C demonstrates the excessive means to seize moisture, even in arid environments. (C) Cumulative view of the SAWH system as deployed within the Atacama Desert in Chile. Credit score: Gadget (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.system.2025.100798
A small workforce of engineers from the U.S., Chile and Eire has discovered a strategy to extract extra water from drier air, permitting for water manufacturing in arid locations just like the Atacama Desert. Their paper is published in Gadget.
As a substitute of in search of methods to enhance sorbent supplies, the workforce sought to optimize the way in which hydrogel-based water-capture programs work.
Scientists imagine there will probably be a world water disaster within the coming years. Because the demand for recent water will increase and current sources grow to be depleted, new sources are required. One widespread space of research includes extracting water from the air.
Present strategies contain hydrogels and metal-organic frameworks. On this new effort, the researchers centered their consideration on programs that use hydrogels to soak up water within the air in the course of the evening when the air accommodates probably the most water, after which utilizing solar energy in the course of the day to squeeze the water from the hydrogel right into a holding container.
In finding out hydrogel processes presently in use, the analysis workforce discovered that probably the most inefficient a part of such programs was the tempo at which the hydrogels soak water from the air they usually sought to hurry up the method.
They got here up with an method 10 instances quicker than different MOF-based gadgets that includes making a hydrogel with a cross-linked polyacrylamide polymer with added lithium chloride. Additional modifications included optimizing the thickness of the hydrogel and the air hole used for accumulating water from the hydrogel.
The workforce examined their device within the Atacama Desert within the warmth of summer season and located it might present water at humidity ranges as little as 11%. Additionally they discovered it might produce as a lot as two liters a day when humidity ranges have been 30%. In one other take a look at, this time from a roof on the campus of MIT, the researchers discovered the system able to producing 1.7 L/m2/day in 50% humidity circumstances.
Extra info:
Chad T. Wilson et al, Photo voltaic-driven atmospheric water harvesting within the Atacama Desert via physics-based optimization of a hygroscopic hydrogel system, Gadget (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.device.2025.100798
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