Biomass Hydrogels Harvest Water From AirResearchers at UT Austin have developed a system using molecularly functionalized biomass hydrogels that...
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network
Researchers at UT Austin have developed a system using molecularly functionalized biomass hydrogels that convert discarded natural materials into sorbents, enabling water extraction from air even in dry conditions. The biodegradable, energy-efficient hydrogels produce up to 14.19 liters per kilogram daily, offering scalable solutions for global off-grid water access worldwide.
Key Takeaways
Universal Conversion: A novel strategy transforms diverse biomass – like food scraps and seashells – into high-efficiency water sorbents.
Efficient Harvesting: Field tests yield up to 14.19 liters per kilogram daily, demonstrating effective water collection even in arid environments.
Scalable Sustainability: The biodegradable hydrogels require minimal energy, making them ideal for off-grid, emergency and community-scale water systems.
Discarded food scraps, stray branches, seashells and many other natural materials are key ingredients in a new system that can pull drinkable water out of thin air developed by researchers from The University of Texas at Austin.
This new “molecularly functionalized biomass hydrogels” system can convert a wide range of natural products into sorbents, materials that absorb liquids. By combining these sorbents with mild heat, the researchers can harvest gallons of drinkable water out of the atmosphere, even in dry conditions.
“With this breakthrough, we’ve created a universal molecular engineering strategy that allows diverse natural materials to be transformed into high-efficiency sorbents,” said Guihua Yu, a professor of materials science and mechanical engineering and Texas Materials Institute at UT Austin. “This opens up an entirely new way to think about sustainable water collection, marking a big step towards practical water harvesting systems for households and small community scale.”
Attached link
https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/biomass-hydrogels-harvest-water-from-air-396536Taxonomy
- Hydro-electric Modeling
- Hydrogel