How To Get Fresh Water Out Of Thin Air. Image Credit: MIT Fog-harvesting system developed by MIT and Chilean researchers could provide potable water for the world’s driest regions.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — In some of this planet’s driest regions, where rainfall is rare or even nonexistent, a few specialized plants and insects have devised ingenious strategies to provide themselves with the water necessary for life: They pull it right out of the air, from fog that drifts in from warm oceans nearby. Now researchers at MIT, working in collaboration with colleagues in Chile, are seeking to mimic that trick on a much larger scale, potentially supplying significant quantities of clean, potable water in places where there are few alternatives. Fog harvesting, as the technique is known, is not a new idea: Systems to make use of this airborne potable water already exist in at least 17 nations.
Fog-harvesting systems generally consist of a vertical mesh, sort of like an oversized tennis net. Solar Water Still Construction. You can use stills in various areas of the world.
They draw moisture from the ground and from plant material. Amazing Low-Tech Water Harvester. Even in places where there’s a severe lack of water, there’s one thing every place has.
Air. And even in the most arid of climes, there’s moisture in the air, even if it’s not enough to be felt on your skin. So there’s water everywhere, it’s just a matter of getting to it, and that’s what Edward Linnacre did with his brilliantly simple low tech air harvester called the Airdrop. With a deceptively modest design, Airdrop filters hot environmental air through a turbine, feeding it through a copper tubing system—with copper wool to maximize surface area—and into the earth where it cools and releases moisture. The dry air is then re-released into the atmosphere and the collected water pumped through semi-porous hoses to the plant roots. Okay, that’s just genius and badass. Via. Passive Solar Water Still: Cheap, Clean Water. Photo: WaterconePassive Solar One Step Water Condensation FTW!
We wrote about the Watercone back in 2004, but considering how much TreeHugger's audience has grown since then, it's likely that only a handful of you were reading the site back then. I think it's time to have a second look at this very clever device that has the potential to help provide clean drinking water for millions of people who are lacking access to clean water (or if they do, maybe the access is intermittent and they could use a plan B). This could save many lives for sure. Read on for more details and a demonstration video. Photo: WaterconeStep #1: Pour salty / brackish Water into pan.
Photo: WaterconeStep #2: The evaporated Water condensates in the form of droplets on the inner wall of the cone. Photo: WaterconeStep #3: By unscrewing the cap at the tip of the cone and turning the cone upside down, one can empty the potable Water gathered in the trough directly into a drinking device. DIY Solar Still. DIY Solar Still. How To Build A Solar-Powered Still To Purify Drinking Water. The author’s solar still, with one pan in it.
The still actually has room for two of these. Note that the glass top is at an angle, allowing the water to flow down to the catch tube. Everyone agrees that water is needed for survival and articles abound for how to find water and purify it for drinking. But all those articles have one thing in common: They are talking about purifying water from biological hazards. Normally, the biggest hazards we face from drinking water are microorganisms: bacteria, protozoa and other parasites which can enter our system and make us quite sick. While those biological hazards are important, they aren’t the only thing we can find in our drinking water. Distillation is a simple process, although it can be difficult to accomplish in quantity. The really great thing about distillation is that nothing else evaporates with the water.
A solar still, like many solar collector devices, consists of a glass-covered box, which is painted on the inside. UTEC - Potable Water Generator. Portable Solar Desalination 'Plant' That May Aid In Third World Water Woes. By Meera Dolasia on September 14, 2012 CCSSNAS-1NCSS-3Word Search 'Water, Water everywhere, not a drop to drink' - That, unfortunately, is the situation faced by millions of residents in developing countries who are surrounded by oceans, but have no access to fresh drinking water.
Now thanks to this ingenious portable ceramic desalination 'plant' created by Milan-based designer Gabriele Diamanti, there may be a viable solution. The Eliodomestico works just like a coffee percolator except, upside down. It comprises of two ceramic pieces that sit on top of each other. The Eliodomestico is then placed in a sunny area causing the liquid in the container to heat up and turn to steam.
The best part is that this portable device can desalinate up to five liters of water at a time and after the initial purchase price estimated to be about $50 USD, costs nothing extra to operate. Resources: Gizmag.com, gabriellediamanti.com.