The AquaWeb - Nature-inspired Water Collection System

Published on by in Technology

The AquaWeb - Nature-inspired Water Collection System

The AquaWeb  mimics the way that natural systems capture, store and distribute water — not just rainwater, but ambient moisture such as fog. 

kXWGWGP.jpg

The AquaWeb module is a multifunctional biomimetic system to integrate water capture, filtration, storage and distribution into food production building envelopes such as greenhouses and container farms.

The core team behind NexLoop, a biomimicry venture, has been collaborating on its nature-inspired water collection technology for almost two years. But the first time the three entrepreneurs met in person was in mid-October in California, when their idea won the $100,000 grand prize in the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge.

AquaWeb's design combines several ideas. The water capture mechanisms are inspired by cribellate orb weaver spider webs, which are "engineered" to collect fog out of the air; the storage concepts mimic the approaches used by drought-tolerant succulents (such as the crystalline ice plant) to hold on to water; and the trio studied the ways that certain mycorrhizal funghi, such as the Jersey cow mushroom, distribute water to the entire plant structure.

They also have been busy borrowing from bees: Each module of the system is shaped as a hexagon, like a hive structure. They can be stacked together depending on the required application — a stacked pair measures 32 inches tall by 18.5 inches wide (each individual hexagonal unit is 16 inches). 

The NexLoop team will be collecting data on several areas during the next phase of its pilot tests. For one thing, it will study how the system performs in a variety of climates — including very arid regions in Hawaii, Morocco and Africa. They also will evaluate how materials and fabrics affect how much water can be collected. 

In simulations where water is sprayed onto the system, AquaWeb captures about 50 percent, according to NexLoop's early test results — or about 2,000 milliliters per square meter of fog. Right now the prototype can store about five liters of water per unit. The team estimates it would take about 20 units to support a shipping container.

Read full article: Green Biz

Find out more: BioMimicry Institute

Attached link

https://vimeo.com/166166886

Media

Taxonomy