Scientists at MIT have developed a device capable of producing clean drinking water from desert air without the need for electricity or external power. The new window sized harvester uses an origami inspired hydrogel panel that absorbs water vapor at night and then releases it during the day where it condenses on a glass surface. The condensed water is funneled into a container and is safe to drink with tests showing it meets all quality standards.
During trials in Death Valley one of the driest places in North America the device produced around 160 milliliters of water per day even when humidity dropped as low as 21 percent. This is a remarkable achievement since most existing water harvesting systems require higher humidity or significant amounts of energy to operate. Unlike other designs that risk contaminating the collected water with salt this device uses a stabilized hydrogel structure that prevents leakage ensuring that the water remains pure.
The team behind the project says the system can be scaled up by arranging multiple panels together in vertical arrays to provide enough drinking water for households. Because it operates passively without solar panels or batteries it can function in remote areas where infrastructure is limited making it a promising solution for communities facing drought and chronic water shortages.
Published in the journal Nature Water this research highlights the potential of sustainable design to address one of the world’s most pressing challenges. By turning air into safe water using nothing more than smart material science and natural cycles the MIT team has created a tool that could transform life in some of the harshest environments on earth