Making Water From Thin Air

[mondo obscurius]

Source: American Technion Society
Date: June 5, 2007

Two architects pursuing PhDs at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have devised a low-tech way to collect dew from the air and turn it into fresh water. Their invention recently won an international competition seeking to make clean, safe water available to millions around the world.

The brainchild of Technion Architecture and Building Planning grad students Joseph Cory and Eyal Malka, “WatAir,” is an inverted pyramid array of panels that collects dew from the air and turns it into fresh water in almost any climate.

Inspired by the dew-collecting properties of leaves, one 315 sq ft unit can extract a minimum of 48 liters of fresh water from the air each day. Depending on the number of collectors used, an unlimited daily supply of water could be produced even in remote and polluted places.

According to Cory, WatAir can be easily incorporated into both rural and urban landscapes because it has a relatively small base. Its vertical and diagonal design utilizes gravity to increase the collection areas. The panels are flexible and easy to collapse when not in use, and provide shelter from rain and heat and play areas for children.

This is a variation on one of the oldest and simplest water gathering methods, and a standard wilderness survival technique. It's encouraging to see inventors and scientists taking their cues from nature and using new materials to solve problems the old fashioned way. I'm all for an "archaic revival" of new-old technologies. During a water shortage or drought, a device like this could be practical - especially in urban environments placing them on rooftops and so on.

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070604222124.htm

[Orrex]

1. My first job was programming binary load lifters

This is very cool and a long time overdue IMO.

[unpossibles]

2. this is great!

and way better than a sheet of plastic over a hole weighted down with a rock.

:)

[bigmonkey]

3. Get this to Australia stat!

They need to save as much water as possible for agriculture.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. And to certain areas in Asia and Africa as well.

[Javaman]

5. This is nothing new. Amazingly, it's already available in Australia. link below...

http://www.airwater.com.au/home.htm

there is also

http://www.airtoh2o.com.au/air-to-water.asp

I have looked into buying one from the Australian company.

It would roughly cost $1000 and that would give you 71/2 gallons a day. More than enough. Plus it has an option to run completely on solar.

edit:

I was wrong. I had to go and actually read the article, what's with that? LOL Anyway, this is a clever use of very old technology. I had done this years ago with my dad in my backyard.
It works, but like these guys show, it requires a large "array" to produce sizable quantities. I made mine with a small plastic painters drop cloth. I got about a pint in a several hours. And yes, it's very clean water. Sweet almost.