Existing methods of collecting water from ambient air exist, but most of them are large or cumbersome. Recent research from the University of Texas at Austin is taking that concept and transforming it into something you can have with you at all times. Or more literally, on your back at all times. In a study published in scientific progressThe team used a special textile to create a jacket capable of harvesting atmospheric water.
“We wanted to rethink the nature of the technology,” said Guihua Yu of UT Austin, one of the authors of the latest study. “If the textile itself can collect water from the air, it opens up a new direction for personal and portable water access.”
The jacket used a special fabric designed to collect moisture from the air and into detachable harvesting units rather than allowing the fabric to absorb water. “That transport design is what allows the material to work not only in a small lab test, but also in a wearable system,” said co-author Keith Johnston of UT Austin. The harvester is then placed in a foldable collector piece and heated to create potable water.
University of Texas at Austin
Depending on humidity levels, the jacket produced 400 to 900 milliliters (about 14 to 30 ounces) of potable water per day in testing. The form factor created for this particular study was a jacket, but the investigators suggested that the same fabric could be used to construct other items, such as a backpack or tent, to give them water-storage capabilities. This technology can be used for medical response teams or during emergencies, especially in remote locations. On the commercial side, it could also make for some very useful hiking and extreme sports gear.
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